Copyright abolition (was Re: [fc-uk-discuss] DT Articles onre cording copyright extension)

[Crosbie Fitch]

> From: Rob Myers
> I do not, personally, regard authors' moral rights as natural rights
(there are no printing presses in nature),

I do agree that we need to think of this more broadly, and certainly not
think of this as simply rights of content producers vs rights of consumers.

This IS human vs human.

We are all artists. Whether our works are handscribed diaries on papyrus,
home videos of our weddings, recordings of our kids playing Mozart, recipes
for cakes, or blockbuster movies with computer generated effects.

We are all an audience to each other. We have enjoyed each other's stories
since before mankind could paint on cave walls.

This activity we call art is fundamentally human.

I am talking about human rights.

I am not talking specifically about their application to authors of books or
other printed works. However, I do refer people to European moral rights
just so that people can recognise that I'm not proposing anything radical.

I'm trying to say that pretty much everything a proponent of free culture
could want as a right does not require the prohibition of unauthorised
duplication or derivation - and certainly not powers to invade and violate
someone's privacy in order to protect artificial publication incentives.