Copyright And Popular Media

Description: Media piracy in music, film and gaming is as much about the future of formal copyright governance as it is about morality and freedom of expression. An illegal consumer is not a bad or immoral person because copyright laws state the act of copyright infringement is against the law. History reveals what social networking in the world of digitalization now tells us - consumers have always engaged in legal and illegal popular media consumption. Convergent consumption patterns are not new - file sharing is the latest development. However the dominant few which have established the status quo over several decades strongly resist external technological challenges. The corporate elite which control the bulk of popular media and their copyrights strictly preserve the formal legal structures in which copyrights exist. But the legal reality is that the facade of copyright governance has been seriously challenged in the 21st Century. This book explores the unresolved issues concerned with media piracy and consumption.

Review: 'We live in an era in which convergence of the internet, the digitalization of popular media and dominant attitudes toward personal freedom has created the perfect storm for the corporate entertainment media. This book provides innovative answers to the vexed questions of copyright and digital media piracy from the perspectives of the social sciences and copyright law.' - Paul Boreham, Professor of Political Science, University of Queensland, Australia 'The history of copyright law in popular media is often presented as a one-dimensional story in which a handful of global corporate citizens enjoy unfettered control of intellectual property rights. Running along side this, however, is a parallel history of the liberal consumer who does not accept nor fit into this one-dimensional story of global copyright regulation and control: the latest example being the users of internet technologies and social networking. This topical book examines the convergence between these apparently distinct histories. Drawing on a multidisciplinary approach that combines doctrinal analysis and politico-economic study, the book tells a story of the political control of modern copyright and technological change, and how these impact upon and interact with freedom of expression in Western society. In so doing, the book makes an important and timely contribution to current socio-legal debates on popular media, consumption and copyright governance.' - Brad Sherman, Griffith University, Australia 'The book is an interesting view into an area of the law that seems to be holding on to the 'old ways' but hoping that the extensive changes that we are witnessing in technology and society can somehow 'fit'.' - Kristy Richardson

Contents: Abbreviations Cases Statutory instruments PART I: SETTING THE SCENE Liberalism, Realism, Convergence, Consumption and Tensions between Technological and Legal Change Global Governance: Regulation of Copyright Law and Policy in Popular Media Copyright Industries Corporate Control of Popular Media (and Culture): Competition Law and Policy in Popular Culture PART II: PROBLEMS WITH NEIGHBOURS - UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGE TO CORPORATE CONTROL Copyright Developments in Popular Media: Doctrinal and Statutory Challenges From Printing Press to Peer-to-Peer: Centuries of 'Modern' Media Piracy and the Social Urge for Legal and Illegal Consumption A Three-front War on Piracy: Technological Protection, Legal Action and Education Programs - Null Bock Haltung? Occidental Failure: The Paradox of Transglobal Copyright Industries in Emerging Economies PART III: PROSPECTS FOR COPYRIGHT POLICY AND CONSUMPTION IN POPULAR MEDIA The Nexus between Piracy and Legitimate Consumption: Social Networking, P2P File Sharing and Consumer Empowerment Concluding Remarks on Technology and the Law: Neighbour Reconciliation or Infinite Futility? Index



Author Biography: TRAJCE CVETKOVSKI has taught the Politics of Law and Governance at the University of Queensland, Australia, since 2002; and was commended by the Faculty for outstanding contribution to student learning in 2009 and 2011. He holds a PhD (Political Science) degree from the University of Queensland. He has practised as a Barrister in Australia since 1996, and also practised as a Solicitor in England. His research interests include the 'politics of law', popular media and corporate citizenship generally. He is currently interested in technological change and the future of copyright.