the PDEA

It's hard to believe I've spent another several hours playing with this blog. Actually, I have a few blogs posted at various urls, none of which is designed properly and all of which have caused me tremendous frustration. With the time I've spent decorating my blog, I could have posted a dozen worthwhile entries. Instead, I've written practically nothing, but I'm inching towards control over html.

For example, through much trial and error, I finally figured out that it's not possible to make advanced html edits with the intermediate-level TypePad account. Oops. I spent an hour clicking around in an effort to insert the Creative Commons button in the footer of my pages. Alas, unless I upgrade, it's going to have to stay in the sidebar (of course, I hope I'm wrong about this -- don't hesitate to tell me if I am).

Anyway, I leave you tonight with this paste from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I'm still learning my way around the world of Free Copy, but I know and believe in this organization.

The Public Domain Needs Your Help!

Here's the text from EFF's action alert:

Creative works are supposed to end up in the public domain, where anyone can use them without fearing lawsuits from copyright holders. This freedom makes it possible for Shakespeare to be the world’s most performed playwright, and it allowed Disney to create films like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. However, some powerful copyright holders have stopped works from entering the public domain by repeatedly lobbying Congress to extend the length of copyright terms. This abuse of the law locks people out of their cultural heritage and puts an unfair tax on creativity.

Join the growing chorus of creators, archivists, bloggers, librarians, teachers, and citizens demanding that Congress restore balance to US copyright law by supporting the Public Domain Enhancement Act (PDEA). If passed, PDEA would require a small registration fee - as low as $1 - in order to retain copyright in a work. This would allow unexploited works to enter the public domain while removing ambiguity about a work's copyright status. PDEA already has 8 co-sponsors in Congress, but it needs many more. Let your representative know that this balanced, practical approach to copyright reform is crucial to the spread of knowledge and culture.