Derek Khanna: If You Want to Fix Copyright, Check Out FixCopyright.com
From Derek Khanna, the copyright-reform activist who has done as much as any single person in recent weeks to help push things in a better direction. He's writing about the White House weighing in on the issue of legal penalties for unlocking your cell phone. In response to a petition that Khanna helped popularize, the Obama admin has said that consumers should be allowed to modify phones so they can be used with different carriers - a small gesture but a good one.
"This is terrific news. It shows the power of the people to affirmatively act to fix policy rather than just stop bad policy. We the people have this power when we come together to fight for positive, common-sense solutions. This is a major affirmative victory for the digital generation that stood up against censorship of the internet through SOPA a year ago. This is a win for innovation, small businesses, the free market and the consumer.
"The work of this movement is not done, now Congress must follow through – and it will require continued activism and engagement from average people who made this possible. I commend Sina Khanifar for creating this petition, and the many coalition members who joined in this effort including Public Knowledge and the National College Republicans. This would not have been possible without the groundwork laid by the SOPA protest last year – we were truly on the shoulders of giants."
We have also launched a website to continue this advocacy going forward: fixcopyright.com
Watch Reason TV's recent interview with Khanna, a former Republican Study Committee staffer who got bounced for challenging the copyright status quo.
