Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

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mikehalloran
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by mikehalloran »

Finally, an article that makes sense:

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2016/06 ... copyright/
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

mikehalloran wrote:Finally, an article that makes sense:

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2016/06 ... copyright/
Kinda misses the point.

Saying that the blockchain doesn't solve anything on its own is like saying a flute can't make music unless someone plays it - a simple, unhelpful truism.

The technology underlying the blockchain is already making a big impact in all sorts of spaces where irrefutable transactions and tracking provenance are important, inlcluding the arts. The Australian stock exchange is even going in this direction.

The blockchain isn't irrelevant just because the US Copyright Office isn't hip to what this kind of tech offers.
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…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by mikehalloran »

Kinda misses the point.
It makes the exact point that you missed when I was trying to make it.
The blockchain isn't irrelevant just because the US Copyright Office isn't hip to what this kind of tech offers.
... unless you live in the USA.
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

  • Kinda misses the point.
mikehalloran wrote:It makes the exact point that you missed when I was trying to make it.
Well, if the point is that the blockchain needs to be used to be useful, that it in itself is a pointless point.
  • The blockchain isn't irrelevant just because the US Copyright Office isn't hip to what this kind of tech offers.
mikehalloran wrote:... unless you live in the USA.
Hate to break it to you, but most people don't.

The basic premise of the article is that the blockchain is a solution looking for a problem.

If people don't think that there are problems with the management of rights for digital works, they just aren't paying attention. If people can't see how blockchain-type approaches can address some of these problems, they just don't understand the blockchain.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by mikehalloran »

No need to get pissy. You are reading articles and making conclusions that are not supported by current reality. I'm discussing what I do for a living—without going into detail (I'm not allowed to).

It's not just US Copyright that you so casually dismiss. It's also the Berne Convention aka the rest of the world where Copyright is concerned.

So where's SoundExchange or any of the world's PROs on this issue? Until a majority have bought into the concept and are pressuring the US Congress and Berne to start considering this, it ain't happening and the article is spot on.

I'm not saying it isn't a good idea but I see it being many years from reality.

Actually, SoundExchange is in the ideal position to get the dialog started. They're making a little noise but no progress so far.
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by mikehalloran »

https://thetrichordist.com/2016/01/20/b ... the-beans/

. . . having a fair system with great efficiency is paramount, and that it is important to continue to bring these issues to light and to push forward ideas that speak to the value of art and the need to pay for it. But unless we solve that last part…pay for it…we’re only wasting both time and money on what boils down to rhetoric.

Ahhh.. "pay for it". Welcome to my world.
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

For someone who usually comes on pretty strong Mike, you are taking my posts the wrong way and being a tad overly sensitive. You have told me (repeatedly and curtly) that I didn't get your point (and I think I did/do) and so I guess I don't feel an overwhelming need to show respect and deference to you, 'cause I don't see that being reciprocated. So, I just cut to the chase. If I'm not polite enough for you, perhaps take a minute to look at how you relate to me before letting my posts get under your skin. Pot>Kettle, and all that.

In short, I'm not being pissy, just responding to your post about an article that I thought was pretty silly.

I'm not saying the blockchain is the answer, but it clearly could solve many issues - quite elegantly, I might add. In fact, it is being extensively used this way already.

In terms of implementation, third-parties have built things on top of BC that provide a complete rights management ecosystem. There are quite a number of platforms and artists using BC-type tech right now, and the trend is towards growth. (Ascribe, Verisart, Monegraph, etc. etc.)

In terms of legal frameworks, and treaties/rest of the world, as it stands right now, here in Oz, I can (and have already) secure provenance over my digital art works via blockchain (or other means), and have my copyright recognised not only here, but in the US, the EU, etc. There are moves afoot in the EU as well to recognise BC provenance/rights as part of their legal framework.

The US is lagging, but the US isn't the only player, and if BC use continues to grow, the US won't be able to hold out forever.

I've read Alan Graham's stuff before. We have corresponded. I agree with most of what he says. Yes, people have got used to having music for free, and no, BC (or any tech for that matter) won't change that reality. For me, that is not the real issue, because I am a multimedia artist, and I give away my music and I don't pine for the '70's/'80's/90's when a handful of international superstars and their record labels were able to overcharge for music sold via CD's/LP's.

For contemporary musicians though, the issue that BC can address is exploitation.

There is a difference between 'use' and exploitation. In the olden days, we might grab a cassette copy of a friend's LP. Not ethical, but common. Then came Napster and the rest. The issue became that works in a digital format could be exploited so much more readily. BC, inc. embedded smart contracts, can (and is) able to directly address exploitation. It's faster, better, and cheaper. Will people still do things to get to music for free? Yup. Could BC make it easier for those that do pay to buy? Yup.

BC can also address the 'convenience' argument Alan makes. Yes, people want (insist on) convenience. For end-users, BC offers an independent, hassle-free, legal, and easy way to access digital artworks. More importantly, BC makes licensing/access/use much easier for production houses to get music. All it takes is a few clicks, and a TV/film producer can have a contract/licence and payment process for music. It's faster, better, and cheaper.

I also agree with Alan that there are technical limitations to the Blockchain (with a capital 'B'). FWIW, I agree that it probably won't be the blockchain per se that will be used universally for provenance et al in the future, but one of the next-generation implementations blockchain type tech, because of some capacity, technical, and political issues with the existing BC. This is something that quite a number of players are already working on.

Don't believe the hype, but equally. don't underestimate the changes that BC and other tech will bring.

BC won't solve world hunger, but it could free up some more arable land on which we can grow some next-generation artistic crops.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

Blockchain is evangelist thinks BC could change the world:
http://www.the-blockchain.com/2016/06/1 ... nge-world/
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

New article on the Blockchain & the music industry.

'...Perhaps we should not ask whether blockchain technology has the capacity to change the music industry (singular). Instead, we should ask whether the will to change exists...'
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by mikehalloran »

Laws have to change in the EU, Great Britain, Japan and the US for any of this wishful thinking to come to pass—none have been drafted nor have any been proposed.

Before that, there really has to be a consensus that this is a good thing. Advocates and evangelists to the contrary, that's not happening either—unlike the multi-billion dollar Google and Spotify funded movement to make copyright even weaker and that is very real.

Can such things begin to happen in 5–10 years? Perhaps but not as envisioned and certainly not tied to Bitcoin. If it can't be regulated and controlled, it will not work.

When such things come to pass, it will affect my job. Till then, we have other things to deal with.
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by James Steele »

BKK-OZ wrote:...I don't pine for the '70's/'80's/90's when a handful of international superstars and their record labels were able to overcharge for music sold via CD's/LP's.
I don't have much to add other than from a purely free market point of view, if millions of people were buying CDs/LPs, they weren't overcharging. The market generally determines the price and finds the "sweet spot."
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'Dysfunctional DMCA'

Post by BKK-OZ »

"YouTube takes advantage of the dysfunctional DMCA to do less about piracy than it could and pay unfairly low royalty rates. It doesn’t have to be like this,”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/ ... ies-battle
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

Brand-new extensive report/analysis of the Blockchain and music from Middlesex University:

In this report, Middlesex University’s Blockchain for Creative Industries (BCI) research cluster take stock of the recent explosion of interest in blockchain technology, seen by some as a solution to challenges faced by the record industry. New organisations exploring the potential of blockchain technology for recorded music include Mycelia, Dot Blockchain Music, Ujo Music, Peertracks, Bittunes, Aurovine and Blokur. We propose four areas in which we believe blockchain technology does indeed have transformative potential, as well as outlining additional claims that have been made for blockchain technology. We also outline barriers to, and possible downsides of, adoption, and conclude by setting out an agenda for future research.

https://www.mdx.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf ... kchain.pdf
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Re: 'Dysfunctional DMCA'

Post by mikehalloran »

BKK-OZ wrote:"YouTube takes advantage of the dysfunctional DMCA to do less about piracy than it could and pay unfairly low royalty rates. It doesn’t have to be like this,”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/ ... ies-battle
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Re: Blockchain tech as the ulitimate in copyright?

Post by BKK-OZ »

Article here.

Is Blockchain-Powered Copyright Protection Possible?

There is no question that the blockchain is an ideal place to store claims to authorship without a central authority to censor, take down or potentially tamper with original work. Whether it can prevent copyright infringement is another question.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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