C in a Circle: Why I Started this Blog Series
Why did I pick this name for my blog?
The copyright symbol © is the most recognized aspect of copyright law. It is also emblematic in that while nearly every American would instantly recognize and correctly identify it, they would overwhelmingly misunderstand its significance in the law today. Copyright is an intensely practical field of law that affects Americans every day. Yet it is poorly understood, even by those whose livelihoods depend on protecting their copyright rights.
Spelled out, “C in a Circle” has an additional meaning. Many of the legal and policy challenges in copyright that may seem new are in fact just a new variation on policy choices that were considered many times in the past. We go around and around, with many failing to recognize or acknowledge the repetition, and thereby failing to learn from the past.
“C in a Circle” is also applicable to the Copyright Office itself. In my view the Copyright Office could and should be so much more than it is. That potential has been constrained by forces both beyond its control and that have little or nothing to do with the copyright system.
What will I be writing about?
The American copyright system is like the proverbial blindfolded man and an elephant; it feels a lot different depending on which part you touch.
In one sense, the U.S. Copyright Act has been a tremendous success. Copyright supports economic activity that contributes over $3 TRILLION to the U.S. gross domestic product. Copyright related products are a huge part of U.S. exports and the most favorable balance of trade of any sector. Copyright-related industries support millions of professional good-paying jobs in the U.S. The list goes on.
On the other hand, copyright piracy is rampant. Billions of visits to pirate websites, many foreign-based, cost U.S. companies billions of dollars every year. Even the largest media and technology companies struggle with this problem.
If the large companies struggle, the solo creators and creative small business that dot America have all but been left out of a registration system that drowns them in bureaucracy.
There are already plenty of blogs and public discussion about current events in copyright.
My focus is a future-looking vision of what the Copyright Office and the American copyright system can and should be. That may from time to time include addressing current events, but that is not my focus.
I will be writing about the big-picture questions of the Copyright Act, how individual issues and cases illustrate strengths and/or shortcomings, and the operation of the Copyright Office as the agency that administers the law and in particular the registration system. Don’t be surprised when some of my discussions show the overlap among these categories.
I hope my posts will engender attention to and conversation about the issues I raise. Constructive comments from all perspectives are encouraged and welcome.
All the views expressed here and in all future posts are entirely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any client or employer.