Internal:Public Policy/Copyright policy issues

This is an internal working space for Wikimedia-DC members developing and understanding and possible recommendations about copyright policy.

Upcoming issues

• Orphan works: The public policy committee has been asked to formulate the chapter's stand on copyright issues for "orphan works" for an upcoming workshop. Document due March 8, 2014. Gerald wrote to the WMF general counsel's office.

From the Copyright Office description of the workshop agenda:

The Copyright Office is reviewing the problem of orphan works under U.S. copyright law in continuation of its previous work on the subject and to advise Congress on possible next steps for the United States. The Office has long shared the concern with many in the copyright community that the uncertainty surrounding the ownership status of orphan works does not serve the objectives of the copyright system. For good faith users, orphan works are a frustration, a liability risk, and a major cause of gridlock in the digital marketplace. . . . [A] number of foreign governments have recently adopted or proposed solutions.

The draft is being worked on at Internal:Public Policy Committee workspace/Orphan works.

• URAA -- Uruguay Round agreements -- these seem to be spreading copyright to works that have been in the public domain and Wikimedia chapters have come out against this aspect of the URAA.
• copyright reform proposal
• Video of April 2014 Congressional Hearing: “Preservation And Reuse Of Copyrighted Works"

History

• In 2011, SOPA and PIPA were bills motivated partly by the TV, film, and TV industries to incorporate copyright protection into the infrastructure of the Internet. The Wikimedia Foundation and many allied groups stood against bills proposed in the U.S. Congress that would impose burdens on wiki sites (among others) if users created certain copyright-related content there. This chapter stood with the movement on this, supporting WMF's blackout of the Wikipedias. This was framed as advocating for Internet freedom. Here was Wiki DC's statement on SOPA and PIPA. Amazingly the effort was beaten back -- our side won.