Zittrain Discusses His New Book "The Future of the Internet"

Jonathan Zittrain is the author of a new book entitled "The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It." In it he discusses the implications of complete openness and why a "generative" Internet must be actively protected from sterile, closed platforms like the iPhone. In this interview, which is remarkably well done by a mainstream reporter, Zittrain explains the book.



I hope to read the work this summer; it looks fascinating.

On a related note, Zittrain co-founded the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. I'll be attending their 10 year anniversary conference next month and the agenda is great, so I recommend you check it out.

Senate Hearing on Net Neutrality

Today the Senate held a hearing on network neutrality attended by, among others, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Lawrence Lessig. In general Democrats are recognizing that a set of sound principles is needed to assure a consistent end-to-end network. The Republican, on the other hand, think net neutrality would stifle innovation and investment through burdensome regulation. Ars Technica has good coverage:

Recognizing the unintentional problems that regulation can create, Kerry called for "principles, not nitpicky regulatory structure."

Dorgan, one of the co-sponsors of a network neutrality bill still pending in the Senate, likewise was incredulous that anyone could consider this some kind of intrusive government interference. "Who on earth is standing up for discrimination?" he thundered.

Well, Ted Stevens (R-AK) is, for one. Though he said little at the hearing, the octogenarian did offer his brief take on network neutrality: "extensive regulation of the Internet, that's what net neutrality means to me." Pithy.

73.2% of Linux Edits are Corporate in Origin

Via Nicholas Carr, a recent survey of the changes to Linux over the past three years shows that 73.2% of the changes to the kernel are from corporations (IBM, Red Hat, Novell, etc.). Carr sees this as the triumph of the market enclosing the free labor of peer production.

The shift in Linux kernel development from unpaid to paid labor, from volunteers to employees, suggests that the Net doesn't necessarily weaken the hand of central management or repeal old truths about business organization.

I think this is a notable occurrence, but not entirely unforeseeable. These corporations have a high incentive to improve Linux due to their reliance on it. However, it is still interesting that these disparate organizations are working together through often informal chains to create something of such value.

Although it dealt with websites, this could also serve to influence the outcome of the Carr-Benkler Wager.

I'll be sure to update this post as others weigh in with more enlightened views.

Quote of the Day

In reading for my economic development course, I came across the following quote from Joseph Stiglitz, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and Chairman of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors:

The Uruguay Round TRIPs Agreement, which is Trade-Related Intellectual Property, has nothing to do with trade. They just put "trade-related" because they had to put that in there to have it in a trade agreement. That was the real ingenuity.

There was already an intellectual property organization, called WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization. But they wanted the trade ministers to do it because the trade ministers didn't know anything about intellectual property, and that meant they were much more vulnerable to the influences of the special interests.

They put in provisions that were explicitly designed to reduce access to generic medicines. Just to highlight why that's important, a generic AIDS medicine, for instance, costs under $300 for a year's treatment. The brand name is $10,000. If your income is $500 a year or $300 a year, or even $5,000 a year, you can't afford $10,000 a year for the brand name. So when they were signing that agreement in Marrakesh, they were signing the death warrants for thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa. That was the consequence.

This is a pretty damning indictment of international intellectual property agreements.

Nelson Pavlosky Speaks at Georgetown

As a student at Swarthmore, Nelson Pavlosky sued Diebold (the voting machine manufacturer) for abusing copyright. His case set an important precedent for free speech in the digital age. He would go on to form the international Students for Free Culture organization, of which Georgetown's chapter is the newest.

On Wednesday, April 16th at 7:15 in Healy 103 Nelson will be speaking at Georgetown University. His talk will cover free speech, the DMCA, open source, fair use and the Free Culture movement. See more about him here. Join the Facebook event here.

Again, all are invited and should contact me at georgetownfreeculture (at) gmail.com with any questions.

Georgetown Students for Free Culture

I am currently a freshman at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and have started the campus chapter of Students for Free Culture.

This Wednesday, April 9th, we are showing the documentary film "Freedom of Expression" in Healy Hall 103 on campus. The film will start at 7:30pm.

Description

In 1998, university professor Kembrew McLeod (Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa) trademarked the phrase “freedom of expression” — a startling comment on the way that intellectual property law restricts creativity and the expression of ideas. This provocative and amusing documentary explores the battles being waged in courts, classrooms, museums, film studios, and the Internet over control of our cultural commons. Based on McLeod's award-winning book of the same title, Freedom of Expression® charts the many successful attempts to push back the assault on free expression by overzealous copyright holders. Freedom of Expression® is an essential tool for educators, activists, filmmakers, students, artists, librarians, and more.

All are welcome, so any DC-area readers who would like to come are more than welcome. The embedded map should help you find the room, but if you have any questions, email me at kevin (at) copyrightings.com


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