Reason.TV: Too Much Copyright

Reason.tv has a nice 9-minute video with Tom Bell (one of the handful of IP attorneys to publicly oppose IP¹ ) and Ben Huh, both skeptical of copyright, and an MPAA flunky, discussing the merits of copyright. My main disagreement is the background presumption that copyright was “intended to” and “used to” promote the creation of creative works: “Copyright exists to “promote the useful arts” according to the Constitution. But is it still doing that?” That is not its purpose, and it certainly was never its effect. But Huh and especially Bell are very good here, as is Reason.TV for highlighting this.

For more on the great work of Tom Bell in opposition to IP:

• his draft book, Intellectual Privilege: Copyright, Common Law, and the Common Good
• The Great Debate on Intellectual Property, in Cato Policy Report (January/February 2002)
• Tom Bell: Copyright Erodes Property?
• Tom W. Bell on Intellectual Property
• other copyright writing by Bell

1. See Patent Lawyers Who Oppose Patent Law. [↩]