[free-sklyarov] What I'd like to see: fixing DMCA and IP

[Stephen R. Savitzky]

I'd like to see it made illegal to sell, distribute, traffic in,
etc. any file format or software that *prevents* fair use of
legitimately purchased copyrighted material, that prevents such material
from reverting to the public domain when its copyright has expired, or
that restricts in any way the use of public domain material.

  An appropriate penalty would be that the works so "protected" be
  forfeited to the public domain.

I'd like to see compulsory mechanical licensing for works distributed
electronically, at the same rate per copy as works distributed on
physical media.  [This ought to be extended to compensate performers as
well as authors.]

  (For those unfamiliar with the way things work in the music industry,
  compulsory licensing means that anyone can perform a song, record it,
  and sell copies: they owe the author and publisher about US$0.065
  each.  Compensating authors and publishers for electronic distribution
  has been a solved problem since 1910, when ASCAP was founded.) 

I'd like to see the term of copyright protection reduced to something
reasonable, e.g., the same term as a patent.

I'd like to see an international treaty that prohibits any juristiction
from applying its laws to individuals who are breaking no law at their
own physical location.  Call it Dmitry's Law.


Maybe the next step is a "Universal Declaration of [*] Rights"
comparable to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  [*] I don't
know what word best fills this slot; suggestions will be gratefully
accepted.  

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