Research+notes



What does copyright protect?
 * books
 * poems
 * plays
 * reference works
 * newspaper articles
 * computer programs
 * databases
 * films
 * music
 * choreography
 * paintings
 * drawings
 * photographs
 * sculptures
 * architecture
 * ads
 * maps
 * technical drawings
 * other multimedia productions

What is it intended for?
 * Encourage creation and distribution of original works
 * Promote access to knowledge
 * Encourage people to pay for material instead of downloading it for free

Where is it wrong?
 * Undervalues the public interest of Canadians
 * Instead, the laws are protecting private-sector special interests and others with vested economic interests in attempting to restrict access to information.
 * Limits the potential of new technologies for individuals and for research and education
 * allows contract law and digital locks (like DRM) block users from statutory rights enjoyed in the analog era
 * Shifts power to the content owners.
 * ISPs are/would be responsible for removing "infringing content" that their clients are hosting
 * ISPs are/would be responsible for removing "infringing content" that their clients are hosting

Who is it good for?
 * Large artists (in theory makes more profit)
 * Record labels (profit)

What is it good for?
 * Promotes originality (if there was no copyright, people would just publish, and republish the same content. Copyright makes people create new content

Who is it bad for?
 * Schools (small budgets)
 * Small artists (can’t get into the industry)

How much do artists/labels lose to piracy? Is it significant?

Copyright levy on recordable media. 30 cents/CD Apprximately $1/CD

Sell 1 CD for $7, Pay $1 for CD and $.3 to other artists. Does that sound insignificant? What if you: Sell 70 CDs, pay $10 for CDs, lose $3 of that to big artists Only make $60 in stead of $63. This may still not sound like much, but when you sell more, that loss is increased greatly. 700 CDs = $4900 net profit. Minus $700 for the CDs is only $4200. You are paying other already rich artists $210 out of what you make on your own works. That means 5% or 1/20 of what YOU EARN gets taken, and given to other artists.

Copyright laws are supposed to prevent piracy, thus supposedly increasing artists' revenue.

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Comparison table (Pros and cons to leaving the laws how they are vs changing/removing them)