Tuesday, July 3, 2012

We Stand for a Free and Open Internet: The Declaration of Internet Rights

Tasker, Katy. "We Stand for a Free and Open Internet: The Declaration of Internet Rights." Public Knowledge, July 2, 2012.

From the blog: "Public Knowledge is excited to be part of the 91 organizations and 38 influencers signing on to the Declaration of Internet Freedom, which launched today.

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