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"Wouldn't that mean people without assets could do whatever they liked with copyrighted materials?" Would that be a bad thing? I can see it now: poor people

"Wouldn't that mean people without assets could do whatever they liked with copyrighted materials?" Would that be a bad thing? I can see it now: poor people would be allowed to sing "Happy Birthday to You" without becoming criminals! Really though, why should we be afraid that poor people will violate copyrights with impunity? Copyright is far too complex and has far too many subtleties for anyone lacking a team of lawyers to work with. Would a judge consider this rendition of "Happy Birthday" to be fair use? If there are 6 people watching the Super Bowl, is that a public performance? Is it OK to let my neighbor listen to music I downloaded onto my computer if they are accessing my wireless network with my permission? Large companies have the resources needed to reason about copyrights. For the rest of us, it is either "just play along like everyone else" or "you're a criminal and you'll need a team of lawyers to prove otherwise!"

stretchwithme 14y ago
People can sing happy birthday to you without being arrested. I've done it many times, even when I was poor. I'd rather see the copyright period shortened so that there is adequate incentive to produce without us having to pay forever. We should pay as much as we need to pay. And not pay more just because the industry has better representation in Washington than the people do. We could, for example, make a song public domain after 5 years, unless it has not yet produced 10 million in revenue. That is more than enough incentive to write a song.
- betterunix 14y ago
  "Happy Birthday to You" is copyrighted, and public performances of the song likely count as copyright infringement. That is the reason that most major chains have their own version of the birthday song. I am not claiming that Warner is going to send a paramilitary team into your home the moment you sing the song; it is, however, a commonly given example of how out-of-control the copyright system has become.
  - stretchwithme 14y ago
    People singing a song is not necessarily a public performance.

stretchwithme 14y ago

People can sing happy birthday to you without being arrested. I've done it many times, even when I was poor. I'd rather see the copyright period shortened so that there is adequate incentive to produce without us having to pay forever. We should pay as much as we need to pay. And not pay more just because the industry has better representation in Washington than the people do. We could, for example, make a song public domain after 5 years, unless it has not yet produced 10 million in revenue. That is more than enough incentive to write a song.

betterunix 14y ago
"Happy Birthday to You" is copyrighted, and public performances of the song likely count as copyright infringement. That is the reason that most major chains have their own version of the birthday song. I am not claiming that Warner is going to send a paramilitary team into your home the moment you sing the song; it is, however, a commonly given example of how out-of-control the copyright system has become.
- stretchwithme 14y ago
  People singing a song is not necessarily a public performance.