In February 2018 we wrote about surveys of authors' incomes in the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Overall the picture these studies painted was one of sharp declines in how much authors made. A new study from the US Authors Guild is showing that things continue to get worse, not better, for authors. … Continue reading New US Authors Guild Survey Shows Declining Incomes
One of the main reasons we grant copyright is an incentive: we want to encourage people to make things, and companies to invest in making them available. But it's not just about incentives (which is why my colleague Kim Weatherall and I told the Productivity Commission that it would be wrong to treat copyright as being purely economic … Continue reading The difference between copyright’s rewards and incentives (and what it means for getting creators paid)
‘One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit’ – so begins moral philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s treatise on bullshit and its function. Bullshit comes, he argues, from one who ‘does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly’, but says them regardless, in pursuit of their … Continue reading Fat horses & starving sparrows: On bullshit in copyright debates
I was recently interviewed by Brian Frye of the University of Kentucky School of Law about my recent work as part of the Author's Interest project. If you enjoy podcasts and want something a bit different to jump into during your commute or while you're folding your laundry, you can stream it here (or here if … Continue reading Rebecca Giblin on Ipse dixit: A new copyright bargain?
We've written before about 'reversion' laws - which protect authors by helping them recover their copyrights in certain situations. So you might be interested in knowing about a current American court case involving songs sung by Frank Sinatra. Warner/Chappell, a publishing company, is suing another company, Bourne Co, who gets the royalties from songs written by composer … Continue reading British reversion right tested with Frank Sinatra songs
Rebecca Giblin, Monash University Last Tuesday Bryan Adams entered the copyright debate. That’s Bryan Adams the singer and songwriter, the composer of “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, and “Summer of ’69”. Authors, artists and composers often have little bargaining power, and are often pressured to sign away their rights to their publisher … Continue reading Everything he does, he does it for us. Why Bryan Adams is on to something important about copyright
When I'm not working on the Author's Interest project, I'm leading a team of data science, communication and law researchers to investigate e-lending in public libraries. Here's some of us, beavering away at data collection last year Libraries have always been able to buy and lend physical books without needing anyone's permission. For e-books it's … Continue reading E-lending in public libraries: implications for authors
