Author Archives: bhaggart

Copyright shapes creation; it doesn’t drive it

Posted on November 27, 2012 by bhaggart

I’m only now getting around to Peter Nowak’s provocative post (and its follow-up) about living in a world without copyright. One of the commentators wonders what this would do for creation: “Sure, people will create without IP law, but why … Continue reading →

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That Republican copyright critique isn’t conservative: It’s economic

Posted on November 27, 2012 by bhaggart

Nice to see that that that Republican memo proposing that copyright be considerably rethought has been getting a lot of coverage. And I’m particularly interested to read an upcoming book that will apparently make the conservative case for copyright reform (h/t … Continue reading →

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Interested in balanced, user-friendly copyright law? Get ready to start voting Republican [updated below]

Posted on November 17, 2012 by bhaggart

One of the most fascinating things about copyright is how it has largely been a non-partisan issue, particularly in the United States. Unlike pretty much every other public-policy issue in existence, you can’t predict how an American politician will vote … Continue reading →

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Why it’s a dumb idea to interfere in another country’s election (hint: it has nothing to do with abortion)

Posted on November 4, 2012 by bhaggart

I see that people are up in arms over the cancellation of a field trip by students from my old neighbourhood in Ottawa. Students were supposed to go to Ohio – the state that will likely deliver Tuesday’s U.S. presidential … Continue reading →

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Notes on a plagiarism scandal: Erasing the “thin grey line”

Posted on October 1, 2012 by bhaggart

A few quick hits about the Wente plagiarism scandal, mostly for my own reference as it relates to social media. All of the actual reporting on Margaret Wente’s serial plagiarism (sordid summary; timeline) has been undertaken not by professional reporters but … Continue reading →

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