michaelcapo
in
sfwa
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day = World Book and Copyright Day
Today is the UN's World Book and Copyright Day. Thanks to maryrobinette for pointing this out. In light of that fact, I deleted the original "Authors' Rights Day" from the subject and substituted the UN's version.
I hope that we all can acknowledge that International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day/World Book and Copyright Day should represent more than just authors' right to put their work up on the web for free. The day should also celebrate the right of authors to publish their work in any fashion they see fit, and the right to limit access to electronic versions of their work. Ideally, it should be a day that we recognize that many publishers are not willing to negotiate when it comes to electronic rights, and that we, as writers, show solidarity in decrying their position. Finally, we should use the day to recognize that, if works are posted on the Internet, traded via P2P protocols, or copied via Usenet without the author's permission, that author has the right to stop the unauthorized copying of their work. I understand that there are disagreements about how long copyright should last, and exactly what constitutes fair use, but these disagreements should not affect the consensus that it is the author who has the final say on how their work will be copied, licensed, or liberated during the period of its copyright.
edited April 23, 2007, 2:24 PM EDT
I hope that we all can acknowledge that International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day/World Book and Copyright Day should represent more than just authors' right to put their work up on the web for free. The day should also celebrate the right of authors to publish their work in any fashion they see fit, and the right to limit access to electronic versions of their work. Ideally, it should be a day that we recognize that many publishers are not willing to negotiate when it comes to electronic rights, and that we, as writers, show solidarity in decrying their position. Finally, we should use the day to recognize that, if works are posted on the Internet, traded via P2P protocols, or copied via Usenet without the author's permission, that author has the right to stop the unauthorized copying of their work. I understand that there are disagreements about how long copyright should last, and exactly what constitutes fair use, but these disagreements should not affect the consensus that it is the author who has the final say on how their work will be copied, licensed, or liberated during the period of its copyright.
edited April 23, 2007, 2:24 PM EDT