The 300-Year War of Copyright

Abstract

Two years into her role as Register of Copyrights and Director of the US Copyright Office, Pallante saw fit to make a speech calling for a comprehensive revision of copyright law. She recognizes that progress is likely to be slow due to the complex and arcane provisions of statute, the intensity with which interested parties make their views known, and the public’s confusion, if not aversion, on matters of copyright (p. 5). Nevertheless, her call is an acknowledgement that the technological and social changes of the 21st century mean that the law is not doing its job and risks losing its moral authority. Merely tinkering with amendments to existing statute is highly unsatisfactory. A better story needs to be told.

If one needs an army of lawyers to understand the basic precepts of the law, then it is time for a new law

(The Next Great Copyright Act,¹ speech by Maria Pallante, United States Register of Copyrights, 4th March 2013)

My real message was, let’s not just put enforcement bills on the table and then be surprised when the public doesn’t understand. We’ve got to tell a better story.

Maria Pallante (December 2013)