fairuseless.org

Giddyup for the RIAA Boycott Roundup.

Yeehaw!

Lifehacker declares war.

USA Today lays it out:

Ladies and gentlemen, there are some things you need to know — some things you need to be absolutely clear about because there are people out there trying to cloud the issues and convince you to give up your rights.

Rather than say "it's about time" or "where ya been?" I'll just say thanks for coming aboard.

RIAA v. XM.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. Any wagers?

Here you go:

EFF: Sony BMG Settlement Info

Let's hold companies like Sony accountable.

RIAA et al. says CD ripping, backups not fair use

Indieish gives us CC:365.

A new, free download everyday. [via haughey]

MacDailyNews tell us Sony music CDs can install kernel extensions on Mac OS X.

To express share their upset over the matter, they've kicked off linked to a Boycott Sony Petition written by a Jeremy Johnson on PetitionOnline.com. [thanks, Geo, for the correction]

Here come the lawyers...

Sony hit by lawsuits over root kit | The Register...

And Illinois residents can add themselves to a possible class action coming from a law firm located there. [link]

Meanwhile, back at Congress, letters to the author's Senators have resulted in:

1) silence, and
2) a response about updating the Telecommunications Act of 1996 in order to address this issue.

Thus is the current level of interest/understanding by the author's representative government.

There's an interesting distinction to be made between the issue of fair use and a creator's freedom to determine the terms by which others may shape, share, or build upon her/his work.

Where fair use is about consumer advocacy, the latter is focused more on artist empowerment.

This is why Creative Commons is so important. The one-size-fits-all mechanism for copyright no longer satisfactorily addresses (if it ever did) the potential for more "open" contributions to society. Creative Commons offers more granularity and control over the boundaries that a creator may wish to lay claim to. It gives the creator a framework for more altruistic behavior. By giving the artist the power of self-determination over their works, we all get more. It opens us all up to making the world a better, more innovative place. There's real genius in that.

In support of the Commons, Fairuseless will contribute 50% of its advertising revenue to their cause. The Electronic Frontier Foundation will receive the remaining 50%. Because the two of these organizations represent two sides of the same coin.