Pho list co-founder, meme-generator, and BoingBoing friend Jim Griffin appears on the PBS show NOW with Bill Moyers on January 17, 2002 at 9p.m. E.T./P.T. Check local listings here. This edition of Moyers’ weekly program will tackle the digital future of intellectual property and the present
debate pitting private control against public domain.
Public libraries embody the American ideal that anybody can read, watch or
listen to just about anything they want to. With publications and
broadcasting delivered free by the Internet directly to homes, is the
information revolution making libraries obsolete? As more people can access
this content, the copyright owners — in many cases large corporate
publishing entities — are looking for ways to charge fees. A growing
chorus of lawyers, librarians, and educators fear the implications of losing
free access to information for everyone. “Our information and communication
infrastructure is so central to everything we do,” says former American
Library Association president Nancy Kranich. “But what’s really underlying
that is the free flow of ideas which is essential to democracy.” Jim
Griffin, president of the music company Cherry Lane Digital adds,
“…Eleanor Roosevelt dreamed of a world of libraries where we could borrow
any book we wanted to read, any movie we wanted to watch, any record we
wanted to listen to..equalizing access to knowledge is one of the hallmarks
of a civilized society.”