What I Told Publishers Weekly in 2010 About the Legacy of the ‘Freelance’ Case
Here’s How Publishers Weekly Covered the Final Settlement in ‘Freelance’
June 11, 2014Text of the New Petition by USA Swimming Abuse Victims — Directed to the Congressional Olympic and Paralympics Caucus
June 11, 2014PW: What do you hope your legacy will be with the Freelance settlement?
IM: That we were able to move the ball down the field toward an equitable and reasonable royalty system that gives independent creators a dignified share of the money and breaks down the barriers of our two-tiered information society. At this moment, we have a system I call “intellectual property for me but not for thee.” Either private corporations hoard rights and bully users into paying for every bit and byte, or futuristic gurus fantasize about everything being free. How about, as an alternative, fair and comprehensive negotiations among all the stakeholders? How about the basis of the public library system of the 19th century, but on a new platform? Whether Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick can help achieve that, or even lay the foundation, remains to be seen.