Who's protecting whose copyright?

[Pab Sungenis]

http://cnx.com/?p=1486

Between 2002 and 2005 I wrote a play entitled Bearding the Lyons. I spent another five years polishing it and finally had two performances of it produced by Cumberland Players back in January. One of those two performances was recorded by me.

Unable to find a publisher for the play (as most publishers want professional productions before they’ll look at you) and with no idea how to get a professional company to even nibble at it, I decided to be aggressive. This week I put the recording, along with a script and instructions for obtaining amateur performance rights, out online. My hope was that someone would download it, enjoy it, and think about having their own company perform it, at which point they would contact me.

So searching Google this morning, I find a link to the torrent that I’d put out there at isohunt, which tries to be a major torrent search engine. I followed the link and lo and behold:



That’s right. Someone filed a copyright claim with isohunt, insisting that they take down a piece of copyrighted material. Namely, my play.

Who the hell thinks they have a right to tell me that I can’t post material that I own the copyright to because it would be copyright infringement?

This is how insane some people in the entertainment “industry” have gotten. They’re so aggressive about defending copyrights that they’ve taken it upon themselves to defend the copyright of a writer they don’t even represent against… wait for it… himself.

I’m a very small voice in the giant drone of entertainment. I need to find a way to be heard and get myself noticed. Putting samples of my work out there is one way to do it. The recording of “Bearding the Lyons” is not for sale, nor is it likely to be, because of the poor recording quality. One recording of one performance of my play is not going to break my back when it comes to convincing other theaters to produce my work; amateur groups and professional companies continue to produce plays that have been recorded or adapted into films and are available for sale all the time.

So who is someone protecting by issuing this order they had no right to issue in the first place? No one. If anything, they’re hurting me because they’re preventing my work from getting around and by claiming that their desire to protect their own rights supersedes my own copyrights.

I’ve filed a request with isohunt to find out who filed the DMCA with them. If I can convince the EFF or someone else to help me with it, I may file a suit. It’s time that this nonsense stops.

[MineralMan]

1. That's an interesting question. I hope they give you the information

you need.

You could break it into 10 minute chunks and post the whole thing on Youtube, I think. Or, post part of it on Youtube and see if you get any responses.

You might get a good number of views. Or you might not. Youtube can have spotty results.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Good luck to you. n/t

[ejpoeta]

3. they are protecting themselves. It is ridiculous. Many artists go on youtube to get discovered

because they try to get contracts through the recording companies who won't give them the time of day. They have to go around them and so you have some who develop followings on their own and so the recording companies are making themselves obsolete in some ways. I know it isn't the same exact things, but with the advent of the internet, there are ways for people to get their stuff to the masses without the need for publishing companies and stuff. I am not sure how else you could get your work out there. I don't know anything about that kind of thing.

Good luck though. Perhaps you could re-torrent your play making sure to include in the description that you are the copyright holder and that you have permission to disseminate this. You probably already did that. Could you offer it through Itunes or amazon? Not sure what the procedure is through there. Many of the folks I mentioned on youtube sell their stuff on itunes. Not sure how you could offer it as free though.

[wtmusic]

4. You're using a venue which has been rendered valuable

largely by illegal activity to promote your play.

You're right, no one has the right to tell you what you can do with your copyrighted material. But as ISOhunt states themselves (satirically):

"However, the conundrum isoHunt faces is determining who owns copyright over what files are described within torrent files that isoHunt indexes, and what are the wishes of these copyright holders. Is a file's copyright owned by hippies such as Richard Stallman and similar Free Software gang with these ridiculous beards? Or socialist commies such as these filmmakers posting free films and shows at Vodo, (absurd, I know) and similarly free music at Jamendo, and any other sites hosting such so-called copyleft non-sense? Or such copyright holders, whoever they are, hang on to their copyright as they rightfully should and intend on suing any who infringes on their copyright? Afterall, victories in court or settlements are worth more than customers. These copyright holders are our friends and isoHunt seek your expertise in bringing copyright thieves to justice. And profit. "

http://isohunt.com/

[ZombieHorde]

5. Youtube may be better. nt

[kentauros]

6. How about using the Creative Commons and the Internet Archive?

I don't know much about Creative Commons, but you ought to look into it. I know it's a form of protection, much like copyright, but supposedly better.

Plus, uploading to The Internet Archive would cover the limitations of hosting it on your own server/computer and bypass the problems of the torrents. They host plenty of artist and other creative individuals. It's not just about archiving the whole Internet anymore :)