Archive for November 6th, 2007
Copycense Clippings (Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, 2007)
The latest edition of Copycense Clippings features game theory; a writer’s strike; recording labels passing the plate; and file sharing defendant Jammie Thomas pitching unmentionables.
Article of the Week
Michael A.M. Lerner. The New Nostradamus. Good. Oct. 1, 2007. We wonder if Viacom, AAP, or Google has retained NYU political science professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita to determine the outcome of their respective copyright infringement cases? Bueno de Mesquita uses game theory, a form of applied mathematics that analyzes strategic interactions between two actors, and assists in decision making. (Most people recognize basic game theory from a simple game called “the prisoner’s dilemma.”) Conceptually, game theory always has appealed to us, but we’ve never sought to investigate it because math gives us the willies. This article is a good, straightforward profile of Bueno de Mesquita and game theory concepts, and even mentions Bueno de Mesquita’s use of the theory in litigation. Categories: Cases & Litigation; Fair Use & Other Exceptions; Research.
Clippings
Brooks Barnes. Writers on the Picket Line Would Feel a Varying Pinch. The New York Times. Nov. 5, 2007. In the first strike since 1988, the coastal branches of the Writer’s Guild of America go out on strike. Among the contentious issues is how writers will be compensated for new, unforeseen manifestations of their work online and through things like podcasts. Categories: Broadcasting & Journalism; Film & Video.
Broadcaster. Broadcasters Denounce Music Labels’ Copyright Demand. Nov. 5, 2007. While this story is set in Canada, American music companies have been spouting the same refrain with more regularity over the past two years. Historically, the two industries have been symbiotic and mutually supportive, but with recording labels grasping for new business models, it has chosen to slap two hands (consumers’ and broadcasters) that have put food on their table. In the States, though, the broadcasting lobby is one of the strongest in the nation, and its power puts that of the music lobby to comparative shame. Hell could freeze over, but it’s unlikely: that’s about as much chance as the music lobby has of getting broadcasters to pay more royalties. Categories: Broadcasting & Journalism; Music.
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