Organization to help defend writers on fair use laws
The same group that helped in the defense of Roger Rapoport, who was sued after trying to publish The Harry Potter Lexicon (read more about the case here), will become an official tax-exempt organization to help writers with issues on fair use and first amendment rights. I came across this article on Publishers Weekly, which describes the goals of the new organization that will…
…help support other creative artists faced with legal threats or lawsuits.
Additionally, the Right to Write will also collect and help spread information regarding intellectual property issues:
The Right to Write archive and clearinghouse will collect and disseminate legal briefs, facts and analyses as well as literary and media accounts of copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property statutes.
I say, good for them! This is indeed a noble cause, especially given the fast-paced way technology is changing they way the reading public consumes literature and other creative media. As such, intellectual property issues are becoming more and more murky, as it appears the laws currently on the books are somewhat outdated and don’t make mention of technology, like the internet for example, and how they relate to intellectual property issues.
Even as a blogger, fair use is always at the back of my mind. How much of someone else’s work can I quote before it goes from fair use to plagiarism? Of course the organization Right to Write goes well beyond just fair use, and also will help writers with issues pertaining to the First Amendment and so forth.
Visit the Right to Write website.
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