Earth: Mostly Harmless

Sharing the wealth

Note: Image used in deliberate irony. I’ve not gone all funny.

While on study leave I’ve been preparing some research for my dissertation on copyright and the idea of ‘intellectual property’ in the information age. During this I’ve (re)discovered quite a few works on copyright and the information commons which I had either not been aware of or not fully evaluated at the time I became aware of them. So here are a few of the best:

STEAL THIS FILM
The Pirate Bay and Piratbyrån guys in Sweden talking about their experience of raids by (appropriately enough) the Antipiratbyrån. Also some brief discussions on their philosophy and attitudes toward sharing, and cross-enforcement of copyright claims despite national boundaries and Swedish law. Some of the interviews with members of the public seem a little staged, simply because the respondents are so well-informed, but nonetheless it’s a great little work. Available free as a torrent.

Question Copyright by Karl Fogel
If you check out one thing on this site, make it his talk at Stanford University.