When we debate copyright policy on the internet, the story is pitched as "creators vs technology," but that leaves out the millions of people who create, but who are not part of the traditional entertainment industry — people whose self-expression, artistic fulfillment, and audiences matter every bit as much as the audiences for creators who sign on to the big labels, studios, publishers and news bureaux.
Everyone Creates is a new project from the Copia Institute timed to coincide with the attack on "safe harbors," the ability of platforms like Youtube and Twitter and WordPress to provide a place for all comers to share their work, in the name of defending the large entertainment corporations' interests. As the NAFTA agreement is renegotiated, the entertainment industry is pressing hard to require platforms to hire unimaginably vast armies of copyright lawyers to evaluate every tweet, vlog, and picture before it goes live, on pain of massive copyright damages if any of their users turns out to post something in violation of arcane copyright rules.
On The Internet, Everyone Is A Creator [Mike Masnick/Techdirt]
