GeekPAC

For those of us who thought copyright law in the United States couldn’t possibly get any stronger, we were shocked and dismayed by the unveiling today of a new lobbyist group comprised of “backers of stronger copyright laws.” This group is led by the usual suspects: RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Viacom and Disney.
There was lots of talk about copyright owners who still want to get paid and promoting the vital role of copyright in the US economy. Nowhere to be found was any discussion about our right to access information and how current US copyright laws violate this basic human right.

2 good things came from the article. We now know which politicians in Washington to target:

The group’s formation drew applause from key politicians who preside over copyright law changes, including U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who heads a key House panel that influences copyright laws.

The other thing that I came across, and I must stupidly admit to being entirely unaware of this, was the Digital Freedom Campaign, which apparently launched in October. On that page, you’ll see a link to sign a petition for the “Digital Freedom Bill of Sights and Sounds.” While personally I’d like to see less reliance on the word “digital” and more references to “information” (since all information is going digital, anyway), this looks like an effort worthy of more support. Sign the petition today!