Just got out of an facinating presentation by Lawrence Lessig called; It Is About Time: Getting Our Values Around Copyright Right.  The presentation was a critical look at copyright law and how obsolete it has become in the era of digital media.  He questioned our complacency regarding accepting copyright rules and standards that not only do not apply to our current information access, but are creating a culture of “pirates” which will invetably be culturally destructive.  The pathway we are on is one of a public library model (books for free) to a bookstore model (you must pay for ALL resources) that does not do (culturally) what copyright law was designed to do.  Cultural preservation by providing a multitude of incentives for individuals to create and share those creations.

Here’s the video, his talk starts around minute 26 (scan ahead).  Enjoy!