Libraries have been on the front lines of the digital revolution since its beginning. 3-D printing is the latest wave of this revolution, which continues to fundamentally change the way we access, process, and produce information. This technology brings digitization to the physical marketplace for the first time, by allowing people of all ages to use digital processes to create…

The Re:Create Coalition brings together various groups from the technology, trade, and library industries. The alliance will advocate for less-stifling copyright laws that foster innovation. A group of library, technology, and trade organizations have joined together to advocate for simpler and more transparent copyright laws. In a statement, members of the Re:Create Coalition said that more balanced copyright policies that…

Copyright law is frequently misused as a tool to censor unwanted online criticism. And often, this misuse does not make it into court. But one such case has recently made its way up to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. And yesterday, EFF filed a “friend of the court” brief, urging the court to consider the First Amendment interests at…

A coalition formed “to combat copyright piracy and demonstrate the value of creativity”— Creative America—has changed its name to CreativeFuture. Major motion picture and television companies initially formed this group now that is now considering the future, the present day, and no doubt, the past as well. CreativeFuture now has individual members as well industry and trade groups. These new…

As the world becomes increasingly dependent on “smart” devices, powered by software and connected to networks, the security of the software and firmware they run on increases in importance.  Whether in video games, medical devices, automobiles, or the infrastructure of the Internet, security vulnerabilities offer opportunities for malicious actors to cause widespread and potentially drastic damage. According to the White…

In publishing a searchable database of thousands of emails from Sony Pictures Entertainment last month, Wikileaks has given the public a peek behind the curtain of the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) use of government power to silence free speech and stifle innovation. For months, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has targeted Google with subpoenas — including a crushingly…

The following piece was co-authored by R Street Innovation Policy Director Mike Godwin. During the Great Depression, farm-equipment giant John Deere Co. famously refused to repossess tractors it had sold to American farmers who were having difficulties keeping up with their payment plans. In a particularly ironic illustration of just how much that spirit of bonhomie has evaporated in the…

U.S. Trade Regulators’ Criticism of Other Nations’ IP Practices is Flawed, Biased San Francisco – Overly broad intellectual property (IP) laws in Russia, Colombia, and Pakistan—which U.S. trade regulators say aren’t tough enough—stifle access to innovation and threaten artists, students, and creators around the globe with prison, censorship, and state prosecution, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said in a new…

Last week the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) held their spring conference in San Diego, to share intelligence about the latest strategies for combatting “counterfeiting” (by which they mean trademark infringement) and “piracy” (by which they mean copyright infringement). EFF’s Jeremy Malcolm attended as an invited panelist, giving us the opportunity to assert our views that anti-piracy campaigns should not infringe…

Today, Public Knowledge joins Re:Create, a new coalition dedicated to promoting balanced copyright laws in the United States. As a partnership between public interest groups and trade associations, Re:Create will work to ensure that copyright laws are clear, simple and transparent while still fostering innovation, creativity, education and economic growth. Public Knowledge will work with Re:Create to engage and inform…