Tuesday, May 03, 2011

copyright foundation supports arts orgs and artists

(Captain Copyright image courtesy Access Copyright -- I miss you, oh Captain, my Captain)

Access Copyright, Canada's copyright licensing agency has awarded $100,000 to Canadian artists and arts organizations through the Access Copyright Foundation. The foundation exists thanks to an initial $3 million grant from the licensing agency. The money for the foundation comes directly from copyright licensing revenue, and will be topped up annually with 1.5% of the agency's licensing revenues.

Some of the projects on the initial recipient list:

Owlkids Canada -- $7,000 for research on ways to engage reluctant readers.

Editors’ Association of Canada -- $5,000 for an online guide to editing Canadian English.

University of British Columbia Press -- $5,000 for an Aboriginal-language Web portal.

Thanks Captain Copyright! You do good work.

Of course, ideological opponents of collective licensing will still attack Access Copyright for daring to collect valid licensing revenue and distributing it responsibly. I wonder what those folks have against university presses, kids' books and quality editing?

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! Access Copyright is a golden god...or maybe some would refer to them as the "Access Copyright meatgrinder"

http://pigsquash.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/groovin-at-the-spring-writers-gathering/

Private Infringer said...

"The tariff purports to licence linking to materials, despite the fact that no licence is or should be needed for such activities. It charges for displays which are not copies, lacks an exclusion for fair dealing (as is found in the current tariff), provides additional protection for digital locks, and features extensive, onerous reporting requirements."
(from your link)

Is that what you consider valid licensing revenue? Well, I suppose if they manage to get away with it, it will become so. Now, who is the ideologue again?

John said...

Darryl (under one of your many pseudonyms),

Yes, you have quoted Michael Geist correctly. You are a good lapdog. Report back to base for your treat.

For the real world's response to Dr. Geist's tariff interpretations, please see the Copyright Board's decision in that very dispute. I'm sure the Board sent you you're own personal copy.

For the anonymous braveheart (maybe even Darryl again), I have actually heard Cathy Ford's presentation about the AC meatgrinder, and can safely report her arguments have no basis in real copyright and would not even meet the standard "free culture" criteria for criticizing collective licensing. If you wish to align yourself with her fantasy interpretation of how AC should work, I wish you well.

Joe Clark said...

You have, quite simply, no fucking idea how people you insist are your opponents (also deluded idiots) will react to the news that still other people have received free money. Hence you have no reason to assume the worst, unless of course it’s an issue of personality.

John said...

Mr. Clark,

I guess there are folks who consider foundation funding for culturally important projects to be "free money." And I know that many folks critical of my blog consider copyright licence revenues to be illegitimate.

I disagree with those perspectives and really have no interest in discussing them further.

How you choose to characterize my thinking is of little interest to me as well. You are a rude and humourless person who has contributed nothing to any discussion on this blog.

Anonymous said...

John,

"I'm sure the Board sent you you're own personal copy."

Your. Argh! You are a writer and should know better.