They’re back…the UN Human Rights Council (with a membership you just can’t make up) suddenly has an interest in the rights of “intermediaries” over artists. What do intermediaries (i.e. Google) do when “intermediaries” (i.e. Google) aren’t mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or other international human rights documents? Hire the “Special Rapporteur” to create a useful paper trail. This post is about the last Special Rapporteur’s report that expressly defended Google’s business. The new Special Rapporteur (from Pakistan, that paragon of human rights) is at it again http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/impactofintellectualproperty.aspx
And when I say “hire the ‘Special Rapporteur'”, I mean that literally: Frank La Rue now works for Google https://www.google.com/advisorycouncil/#bio-larue
In honor of International Human Rights Day (December 10) let us revisit this post.
It is not lost on professional creators and those who care about them that an already tough business has gotten tougher in the last decade. These creators watched—sometimes literally—their works being parlayed into billions for everyone in the distribution chain. Except the original creator, of course. (Yes, billions—if recent disclosures about the size of the rogue site advertising revenues are a guide.) Given the amount of bunk that is being spread about how prosecuting online theft violates human rights–a strange one if I’ve ever heard it–it’s important to understand whose rights are being gored here. (To write your Member of Congress about this, try Music Rights Now.)
Now comes the Special Rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Council to deny artists their human rights while attempting to enshrine “intermediaries” who profit from the losses of…
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