Earth: Mostly Harmless

The Parallel Politics of Copyright and Environment

Picked this up on Slashdot today. Is copyright, and perhaps digital rights issues in general, creeping up on the back of the environment as a major political issue? For my part, I hope so.

Traditionally, copyright has been firmly in the realm of ’stakeholder’ politics, but in an age where ’stakeholders’ include 15-year-olds uploading videos to SueTube (explanation), multi-billion dollar ‘content’ companies and the quasi-corporatist non-governmental organisations, isn’t it time for a proper debate?

The Parallel Politics of Copyright and Environment:

zumaya100k writes “In recent months, Slashdot has covered the rise of the Pirate Party and the battles in Europe over iPod interoperability. Canada’s Hill Times has an insightful column from Michael Geist that links these developments as the growing importance of copyright as a political issue. He argues that copyright is now tracking the environment as a mainstream political issue.” (Geist is talking about Canada here, but much the same can be said about the U.S. and other places.)

(Via Slashdot).

Metroblogging Bangkok

Metroblogging Bangkok is a really interesting read. This guy’s moblogging the aftermath of the coup in Thailand.

Media clampdown in operation
Thailand could be facing serious media clampdowns in new rules proposed today.
Starting tomorrow, all media operators, including Internet media companies, will face immediate closure if they publish any news articles or comments which could be deemed a threat to Thailands national security and monarchy.
The Information Ministry invited all companies and operators to discuss cooperation methods in helping the government “to restrict, control, stop or destroy information deemed to affect the constitutional monarchy”.
Chief internet inspector Kritpong Rimcharonepak told reporters: “We seek their cooperation not to present articles, remarks, or information that will infringe the democratic reform under the constitutional monarchy. They can still present political comments on their media, but if anything goes wrong, the caretakers of those media must take responsibility.”

For more coverage, check out Christao’s Xanga, 19sep.blogspot.com, YouTube and the relevant Technorati tags.