When I wrote last January, people thought I was overstating the case. But, if anything, to judge from this item, I was letting them off easy. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights is considering a proposal that "expands or gives new rights to transmitters of information, even if they are not the creators of that information. Rights that are normally reserved to creators and performers would be afforded to organizations that merely transmit creations and performances -- even if those works are in the public domain, or if those works' authors wish to have the works distributed without restriction." This is out and out theft, no matter how 'legal' you make it. More ongoing coverage... Summary article.
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