On October 6 2017, Columbia Law School's Kernochan Center held a Colloquium tied in to the launch of the Author's Interest project. Professor Sam Ricketson and I delivered the keynotes. Sam's address explored the 'wriggle room' left to us within the international copyright treaties for achieving meaningful reform. Mine described the possibilities for an alternative copyright … Continue reading Columbia Law School Colloquium: Improving copyright for creators
I came across a remarkable document this week when doing some historical research around reversion of rights to authors. It's a draft Bill, advanced in England in 1737 - and it's seeking to address some of the very same issues that motivate the Authors' Interest project. Courtesy of the excellent Primary Sources on Copyright, we can … Continue reading What’s old is new again: authors’ problems in 1737 and today
I will be delivering a public lecture at CREATe in Glasgow on 15 November 2017, entitled 'Taking seriously the author’s interest in copyright'. Here's the spiel: Copyright is fundamentally a system of incentives and rewards. It is intended to incentivise initial production and continued investment in works in order to achieve the broader benefits that … Continue reading ‘Taking seriously the author’s interest in copyright’: Public lecture in Glasgow, Nov 15
When I was a kid, I was constantly starving for something to read. I grew up in a house without books, and was always scrabbling to find the next one. I can still see myself, 7 years old, earnestly negotiating with the volunteers at the Salvo’s to buy dog-eared donations for one cent each (5 … Continue reading Why do we need to focus on authors?
