Washington's Copyright Lobby

Patrick Ross, a friend of mine, has a new job as head of The Copyright Alliance, representing owners of intellectual property--Washington's Copyright Lobby. Here's a post explaining where they are coming from:

Copyright and You

Why has copyright remained a part of our law and our culture for so long? Because it is vital to a healthy economy, to the preservation of artistic and creative works for all to enjoy, to the creation of new technologies, and to all of us having a vast array of cultural choices.

When artists are confident in their ownership of their creations, they feel able to make them available to a larger audience. Often they’ll work with a producer or distributor. The wider the distribution the more reasonable the pricing, which in turn encourages all of us to go out and buy, read, watch - just plain enjoy - the work before us. Much of the revenue that comes from our appreciation and willingness to watch a creative work goes back to all who worked to make the original vision a reality.

The digital age brings a multitude of opportunities for the creators of copyrighted works as well as their producers and distributors. New business models are being developed every day to create, distribute and market artistic works. We tend to hear a lot about how modern technology is harming the creators of copyrighted works – and plenty of harms do occur – but that doesn’t imply that technology itself is bad. Strong copyright protections do not stop individual creators from taking advantage of advances in digital technologies to bring us creative works we can enjoy in ways we never imagined. Technology and copyright protection need not be at odds with each other. They can both work to the benefit of all of us.

Have you ever heard somebody say, “Of course, we want to see artists get paid,” and then they follow that with a phrase beginning with “but”? Generally the “but” and what follows it, implies a belief that copyright protections are not really important any more. That belief can begin to erode or even eliminate the intellectual property rights accorded to creators in the U.S. Constitution and through global treaties. The U.S. Congress in 1790 -- in one of its first major acts -- passed the first Copyright Act. They did that because they felt it was vital to a newly created and growing country that embodied a belief in the rights of the individual. That wisdom is as true today. If anyone ever says they want to see artists get paid, remind them we already have a system that does that, and it has been doing so successfully for 217 years. It has helped make our American creative culture unique and great, and it will continue to do so.