public and property

What is a public space? This definition has evolved over time in response to what the public demands. Now, a public space is usually only public to those who adhere to a certain set of rules or fit a specific description. Often, these requirements are exclusive to individuals who do not have the means or the opportunity to fit into the necessary mold. Public places are often more private than we would like to think. It is not uncommon for public places to be surrounded by the heart of capitalism, which greatly limits those who cannot play the purchasing game. Libraries however do not follow this limited model of commerce. By offering a place for individuals to go and rent items, no money is necessary in the exchange. Just one catch. The 'show-your-address' policy makes it so that the individual in question can demonstrate a secure role in the community by paying rent or owning property. Ooops, forgot about that.

Oversight

The article 'Examining the role of web site information...' addresses the concern about the informative requirements of public information agencies under the dictates of democratic theory. That this is not clearly defined or expressed is not only concerning, but brings light to some of the flaws that exist in democracy. This leads to the age old question about how much of a role the government should have in the citizen's life and how much invovement the citizens should have in the goverments inner workings. When it comes to web site content, this question is further complicated by easy access and information overload. Web sites do not always follow the same rigid codes of authority and reliable content restrictions that published works undergo. Thus, it becomes difficult to monitor and put full faith into a method of delivery that may or may not always be secure. However, a web site is as reliable, secure, and trust worthy as the creator makes it. The examples provided in the article aid in this theory, specifically the reference to Utah's disease management and Colorado and Wisconsin's web site 'oversight' tendencies.

Provisions have been put into place to avoid instances where appropriate information is mixed up with a falsified counterpart. However, as the article 'Documents for Digital Democracy' points out, there are still organizations that do not always opperated with the filters put into place to make their information and public access attempts more secure. GPO's new content management system is an example of a source that agencies can go through to better and more responsibly publish their informaiton. The digitization process has both increased the opportunity for public access to information and hindered it. Whether through information overload and confusion about what is authentic and certain compnaies inappropriatly limiting the availablity of their digitized materials, there needs to be an active effort to insure information stays in the public domain.

Kindle wars

While the controversy surrounding the kindle device, as it stands in an academic setting, has inspired much beneficial debate it has also hindered some improvements on the device that would have been a great asset to many. The hype has caused some damage to a process that could have done much more for individuals and students who have limitations often not accounted for in the bigger scheme of educational practices. The Cornelle University video footage addressed this issue through discussion about adapting the Kindle to have an audio component that essentially read or spoke the menus and works contained within. However, this was thwarted by licensing laws and regulations. Although Amazon later reflected that marketing the audio component as a feature for the blind and other disabled users would have better gotten around these restrictions, it was too little too late. I admit that this information was very disappointing and I feel an audio feature could benefit multiple members of the academic world. Ranging from elementary students to those in continuing education, the kindle and other such similar devises has the potential to be a worthy sidekick in any individuals educational process.

presentation is power

While I enjoyed Yudof's article and agreed on many of the points that were addressed, the overall tone of the piece sometimes overshadowed the messages he was aiming to present. I was impressed at the boldness of his direction and especially liked the portion where he discussed how government institutions have been known to rely on the values of the individual. I also liked how he expanded by stating that governments have also obtained power through catering or capitalizing on these values, but I feel that those who would best benefit from the material in this article could possibly be deterred from reading it critically because of the delivery. Furthermore, as a result of the brisk tone I worry that those reading this whose views are more extreme are not encouraged to think outside of the points that are presented. In other words, at times this article felt more like a political campaign piece meant to rile people up rather than informative work encouraging people to see outside their current mindset.

man made by nature

"Inventors may patent a particular application of scientific information--a human invention--but not the information itself, which is nature's invention." 192

When reading the article "Telling Tales out of school" by C. McSherry I couldn't help but think about the above statement in respect to the dilemma presented in Brown's article. The debate about culture and if a copyright value can be placed on tribal art is one that can be better understood when linked with the concept of 'nature's invention.' While the western approach would deem 'nature's invention' something created with less human interaction, many tribal communities have a belief system that does not have such a fine line between what nature creates and what humans create as inspired by nature or spirituality. Once again this leads to the debate about how certain pieces of work should be treated by western law if the laws of the culture in which it was created do not match.

Out with the old in with the new?

This concept of out with the old in with the new is further discussed in "Revising copyright law for the information age." While Litman's examples more directly relate to a time in copyright history that is closer the present, her assessment of the pros and cons to using vs ignoring previous copyright example puts the debate surrounding copyright into a more presentable context. Should we operate on an older model or should we create a newer and more modern system that can better handle the demands of digital enterprises and the ideas created within this environment? The question then becomes how do we go about making these changes, if any? Should the laws be more manageable to the average person (179)? Without this adjustment in presentation to the lay person versus copyright lawyers, is it even worth it to make the necessary adjustments that will bring the law more in sync with digital influence?

does copyright protect or vicimize?

The creations (art, music, and other cultural presentations) of tribal communities has become an object of discussion within many fields of academic study for the very reason that it is addressed in the article "Culture and Copyrights." The article expressed how through an egocentric approach to the assessment of what is considered copyright worthy, the western mentality greatly diminished the integrity of the cultural expression and spiritual value displayed by the Aboriginals represented in the Bulun Bulun case. What came to be debated was the idea that regardless of the Aboriginals original motivations of creation, their work was forced into a world where capitalist value was placed on anything that could potentially fetch a price. Thus, by being denied copyright, the aboriginals were at high risk of being financially abused by those outside the community.

If any capitalist gain is to be made off the work created in this community, shouldn't the benefits and proceeds go to the community from which it came?

In many respects, original European copyright ideas are outdated and inappropriate. Among the reasons, not only are they operating on old prejudice social ideals, but they refer to a reproduction process of material that no longer strictly applies. The new wave of producing information has evolved and changed in the digital age. Since old world copyright ideals are simply that, the new intellectual property principles have been approached as the savior of protecting material that does not fit into the traditional western model. As expressed on page 55 of the article, there is argument that intellectual property rights will protect heritage. This is a very strong first step, but one that still does not address the heart of the issue. Unfortunately, it is the mentality of what is deemed worthy that needs to be addressed in sync with seeking another means of protection outside of the traditional model. Until more respect is grated to communities and practices that are vastly different from what the western world deems to have worth, it will be some time before the creative expressions of these communities are handled appropriately.