As Cory Doctorow succinctly put it, “There is no copyright policy, only Internet policy; there is no Internet policy, only policy.” Today’s focus on increased IP enforcement will have a dramatic impact on the way people interact with the most democratic communications platform that has ever existed: the internet. Disproportionate IP enforcement will stifle creativity and create gatekeepers that block the free flow of information online.
We need only look so far as this January’s SOPA/PIPA protests to see this materialize. The enormous outpouring of opposition—to bills that would have seriously encroached on people’s right online—served as a strong signal to policymakers that they can no longer pass draconian copyright legislation at the behest of industry." Read more
