By Justin Sanders
You might think that the jobs of actor and doctor are colossally, incompatibly different. That not only do they have nothing to do with each other, but that each is rife with its own tremendous challenges and time commitments. “Surely,” you might be thinking, “it’s difficult enough pursuing just one of these... Read more
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, then Google and the Internet Archive (IA) are clearly driving creatives insane. For those who may not be familiar with the Internet Archive, it is the nonprofit entity that congratulated itself for making... Read more
By Ruth Vitale
I produced and distributed movies for over 30 years. During that time, I never really gave a second thought to how a news article came to be. I assumed that reporters came across a story they found intriguing, went out to gather the facts, and then presented them fairly without... Read more
We recently saw a Mercury News interview with Wendy Liu, a former Google software engineer turned techlash cheerleader, talking about her new book, “Abolish Silicon Valley.” And we found ourselves nodding in agreement with some of her concerns. “Why are Google and Facebook so big? They have control over the advertising thing and... Read more
By Justin Sanders
Artificial intelligence is already impacting how artistic works are created – in ways both exciting and troubling. Soon, it will profoundly affect how we interpret ownership of those works. In some cases, it already has. As the robots expand their cold arm extenders across music, publishing, film, and every other creative... Read more
By Ruth Vitale
RUTH VITALE: Representative Roby, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. How did you come to be interested in intellectual property and copyright policy? CONGRESSWOMAN MARTHA ROBY: I always wanted to work in the music industry. I was a music major in college, graduating with a Bachelor of Music... Read more
In times of crisis, it is important to stay calm, level-headed, and to avoid rash behavior. And, in times of crisis, it is also important to face reality and deal with it. A couple of op-ed writers from the Hoover Institution recently published a piece in Silicon Valley’s hometown newspaper, The... Read more
We want to express our heartfelt solidarity with the individuals, families, and communities in crisis. Our nation is hurting. Centuries of violence against black communities have left us hoping for justice and for peace and equality. As a community, we must do better to promote reconciliation and equality for all.... Read more
By Justin Sanders
[All photos courtesy of Julian Fort] When we last spoke with Julian Fort, in September of 2018, he had recently completed his first feature film, The Midnighters. With a powerful lead performance from Leon Russom (The Big Lebowski), the indie thriller made the most of its shoestring budget and has... Read more
By Justin Sanders
The world’s most powerful internet platforms are even more powerful, and more dangerous, than ever. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Trapped in our homes during the time of coronavirus, we are more reliant on companies like Google and Facebook than ever before. So their continued failures to address their... Read more