How do copyright rules impact internet creators? What can they do about it?
Whether you’re a professional or casual content creator, you’ve doubtless been affected by copyright law, more than likely negatively. Here, we break down how these strange and often draconian rules impact creators, and what they can do about it.
Guest post by Katharine Trendacosta from the Electronic Frontier Foundation
If you make and share things online, professionally or for fun, you’ve been affected by copyright law. You may use a service that depends on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in order to survive. You may have gotten a DMCA notice if you used part of a movie, TV show, or song in your work. You have almost certainly run up against the weird and draconian world of copyright filters like YouTube’s Content ID. EFF wants to help.
The end of last year was a flurry of copyright news, from the mess with Twitch to the “#StopDMCA” campaign that took off as new copyright proposals became law. The new year has proven that this issue is not going away, as a story emerged about cops using music in what looked like an attempt to trigger copyright filters to take videos of them offline. And throughout the pandemic, people stuck at home have tried to move their creativity online, only to find filters standing in their way. Enough is enough.
Next Friday, February 26th, at 10 AM Pacific, EFF will be hosting a town hall for Internet creators. There’s been a lot of actual and proposed changes to copyright law that you should know about and be able to ask questions about.
We will go over the copyright laws that got snuck into the omnibus spending package at the end of last year and what they mean for you. We will also use what we learned in writing our whitepaper on Content ID to help creators understand how it works and what to do with it. Finally, we will talk about the latest copyright proposal, the Digital Copyright Act, and how dangerous it is for online creativity. Most importantly, we will give you a way to stay informed and fight back.
Half of the 90-minute town hall will be devoted to answering your questions and hearing your concerns. Please join us for a conversation about the state of copyright in 2021 and what you need to know about it.
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