Commentary: Copyright laws are increasingly for the protection of monopolies, not for the protection of artists

SFFaudio Commentary

In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Sylvester Stallone recounted how he would, to help him learn the craft of writing, record the audio from movies in movie theaters.

Here’s the clip (the confession begins at 6 minutes 16 seconds):

Today, under Canadian Law (section 432 of the Criminal Code) this action would see Stallone sentenced to “a term of not more than two years” in prison.

Now you have to understand, this is not for the purposes of sale – that would get Stallone “not more than five years” in prison.

Learning the craft of writing scripts, like Stallone did, from the soundtracks of movies would make him a criminal today.

Artists who go to museums in Canada to sketch great works of art are still safe. It is only scriptwriters who go to films and record dialogue that are criminals.

The copyright laws that have been creeping into Canada from the USA are for the protection of existing copyright monopolies, and not for the protection of artists.

[Canadian Criminal code section 432]

Posted by Jesse Willis

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