artcodex reblog

I found this post on the website of the UK’s Open Rights Group :

Patent Office want evidence to justify new copyright exceptions for artists

Posted by Michael in Uncategorized, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Computer Law at March 20th, 2007

The Patent Office needs to hear from artists and creators. Please let us help you get in touch.

The Patent Office is charged with implementing the exciting recommendations suggested in the recent Gowers Review of IP.
But they are yet to be convinced of the crucial need for some of these
recommendations, mainly because they’re finding it hard to get in touch
with the relevant practioners. They are looking for concrete examples
of creative practices inhibited by the law, to back up proposed
exceptions for the purposes of “creative, transformative or derivative
works” and “caricature, parody or pastiche”.

Would you, your colleagues, students or collaborators benefit from
these exceptions? Are you working or have you worked on a project
outlawed by the overly-protectionst copyright regime, which would have
benefited from these kinds of exceptions? If so, please get in touch -
info[at]openrightsgroup.org - and share your experience.

Rights holders were of course quick to lobby against these suggested
exceptions. In their opinion the dismal and labour-intensive “must-ask-permission!” culture of copyright-licensing works just fine
as it is. They don’t see the creative and social opportunities in
remixing and poking fun, only the economic-downsides in losing control
of their ‘IP assets’.

But if you are a practicing artist with relevant experiences to
share, please get in touch today so we can show the importance of
copyright exceptions to Patent Office.