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Richard Stallman: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks

Chris | 05.03.2011 22:18 | Culture | Globalisation | Technology | Sheffield | World

Richard Stallman spoke in Sheffield on 5th March 2011 on Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks.

Audio Richard Stallman: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks - application/ogg 121M

Audio Richard Stallman: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks - mp3 104M

Audio Questions and Answers - application/ogg 55M

Audio Questions and Answers - mp3 49M




The talk was advertised with the following text:

Richard Stallman, the American founder of the GNU / Linux computer operating system and the Free Software movement, presents a Sheffield lecture as part of his prestigious 2011 European Tour. Stallman has received the ACM Grace Hopper Award, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award, the Takeda Social/Economic Betterment award, and several honorary doctorates and stuff.

Copyright developed in the age of the printing press and was designed to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by this technology. But, the copyright system does not fit well with computer networks, and only Draconian punishments can enforce it. The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for Draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while suppressing public access to technology. But if we seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright, to promote progress for the benefit of the public, then we must make changes in the other direction.

Richard Stallman launched the development of the GNU operating system (see  http://www.gnu.org/) in 1984. GNU is free software - everyone has the freedom to copy it and redistribute it, as well as to make changes, either large or small. The GNU/Linux system, basically the GNU operating system with Linux added, is used on tens of millions of computers today.

 http://alt-sheff.org.uk/events/1316/

For more information see:

The GNU Operating System
 http://www.gnu.org/

The Free Software Foundation
 http://www.fsf.org/

DefectiveByDesign.org | The Campaign to Eliminate DRM
 http://www.defectivebydesign.org/

More audio:  http://audio-video.gnu.org/

Chris
- Homepage: http://www.gnu.org/

Comments

Display the following 15 comments

  1. Very debatable — author
  2. necessary to abolish the commodity economy — Drake
  3. Copyright should be abolished — anon
  4. poor analogy — fucker
  5. Indymedfia consumption — If I Had a Hammer
  6. Copyleft indeed — A
  7. @author — propertea
  8. @author & @fucker — Pot-Belly Kelly
  9. Not quite sure why I am replying to only one side of the debate. — author
  10. re: poor analogy — anon
  11. re: political leanings — anon
  12. Trolls — Listener
  13. Meanwhile in the real world — idiot
  14. re: Meanwhile in the real world — anon
  15. I'm anti-copyright, but why the hell hide all the comments? — anon