links for 2006-10-17

Insane licensing scheme for fabric that you have theoretically purchased.

Brazilian press restrictions “due to copyright commitments with various international entities that contribute data and images used in Al Gore’s presentation”

Why even “limited” DRM limits you unacceptably. This is strongly relevent to YouTube’s walled garden.

“Here’s a version of supposedly the same character from the 1980s. What’s the difference? No form. No taste. Ugly, sloppy and wrinkly.”

“The notion that a track I buy in DRM is protected and one without DRM isn’t is a fallacy.”

“Artists get paid, while fans can keep on sharing remixed tunes on the site and push the boundaries of user generated media even further.” But see the Set Top Cop critique.

“Just last week, I had to cancel a speaking engagement at Disney Studios, whose speaker agreement includes a clause in which you promise never to use the word Disney again in an article or story without their written permission (!).”

“Criticizing religion, a favorite artistic gambit of the past 250 years, has become potentially lethal. If creative types are unwilling to pay the price, argument will be muffled at the point of a gun.”