| Free the MIDI!!! |
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One man by the name of Kern took advantage of the new view of the Fair Use Doctrine and, in filing suits against non-commercial hobbyist MIDI sites, forced the closing many a site dedicated to sharing MIDI files. Many more were closed folowing threats of legal action from orgs like the HFA after prompting from other individuals. Obviously, something had to be done to fight against the attack on both the Public Domain and the Doctrine of Fair Use. Click on Read More to see the rest of this fantastic interview. "TinChicken" is director of the Music Relief Association (MRA), an organization dedicated to copyright reform from the MIDI perspective. She has led the MRA - through it's newsletter, it's e-mail list, it's web-site (http://free-the-midi.com), and it's e-mail discussion list - from a small organization to one of higher public recognition and in doing so has positioned the MRA to assist in the larger battle of US copyright reform. The following interview was held in early of 2001. ==== 1) Tin, how & when did you first become involved with copyright reform? I was looking for a certain song (MIDI) for my website. I started with Laura's MIDI Heaven. It had been closed by Harry Fox Agency. I then went to Deb's MIDI Haven. It had been closed due to the lawsuit filed by Stephen Kern. That took me to Jack Snead's site. There I saw the letters about Deb, also a link to the Internetional MIDI Fight site (No, InterNETional is not spelled wrong) I immediately joined. (How I became Director is another story) 2) Please explain the MRA's stance on copyright reform and what they are doing to make reform a reality. First let me say, The Music Relief Association is not against the Copyright Act. Many of our members are composers, artists and creators of MIDI files. We see both sides of the coin. The Music Relief Association believes that there are certain instances, that are not presently being addressed when it comes to the Internet. The Internet is a relatively new medium and Congress needs to catch up. With that being said, our stance is that, what is being used on personal webpages, that make no money (non-commercial, no profit), should be included in the "Fair Use Section" of the Copyright Act, as long as they follow Fair Use Guidelines. If you use a joke, story, graphics, or music, you should not have to be concerned with the possibility of a copyright infringement law s uit. I forget who said it, but, "we need to encourage an open and competitive environment in the production and distribution of content on the Internet." That will not be done, if one has to be constantly concerned about a possible infringement lawsuit. These pages are made by hobbiests, whether it be inspiritational, fun, serious or collection sites. They were never intended to sell anything or harm anyone's income. The world will be a much sadder place without them. What are we doing to bring about such reform? We have spent more than a year figuring just what the problem is. Now that we have done that, we are recruiting. Since we have no money to talk to congress with, we must rely on numbers. Our membership is growing as links to the MRA are appearing on sites all over the net and more people become aware of the problem. We are encouraging everyone, member or not, to write to their elected representatives. They need to know there is a problem that affects millions of people and we want it fixed. We are concentrating on the MIDI, as that was where we saw the problem "rear it's ugly head". However, if the Personal Web Page is addressed that will take care of all the rest. 3) Do you see your goals as achievable? And how long do you think it will take to achieve them? Yes, I believe they are achievable, although it will take a long long time. The Senators and Representatives will only communicate with those in their districts, political action groups and those with lots money. Congress is, also, slow to act even after they start with a bill. Getting the message to them, trying to make them understand how big and important the problem is will be a major endevor, so the sooner we start, the sooner relief will come. 4) How can people get involved and how can they make a difference? I believe the most important way to make a difference is to educate yourself as to the problem then contact your Senator and Representative. For those in other countries, contact your elected officials and let them know. This is a world wide problem, not just the US. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
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