David Wiley blogged this interesting proposal, an artictic freedom voucher (AFV) which would allow taxpayers to designate $100 to the artist of their choice, on condition that the artist, in turn, be ineligible for copyright protection for a significant period of time. It's an interesting approach fraught with difficulties (an artist, for example, who only earns a couple of hundred dollars from the program would nonetheless be forbidden from earning money commercially). And, of course, non-artistic artists (for example, people who write nonfiction or educational materials, such as myself) would clamour for a share. The paper is, though, a recognition that public support for the arts might be a better way to go in the digital age than the current commercial copyright regime, especially as increasingly repressive tactics are required to preserve the industry's state supported monopoly.
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