Uploaded May 2012 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A Documentary I created in late 2011/early 2012.
____________________ Links ___________________
Google+: FilmmakersGuide.net/plus
TWITTER: twitter.com/#!/FilmmakersGuide
Created for C-SPAN's StudentCam Documentary Competition - studentcam.org
____________________ About __________________
Intellectual Property explores our current IP system through the lens of the Constitution. The "Copyright Clause" states that Congress shall have the power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Does our current system live up to this?
The world of Intellectual Property is very important; many of our greatest inventions, books, and media rely upon it. Both the copyright system and the patent system have fallen behind. There are over 700,000 patent applications waiting to be approved. This means that there are many inventors waiting on the USPTO to release their product. Congress created the America Invents Act to fix these problems. Is its first-to-file provision Constitutional? Has it been good for the country?
Meanwhile, copyright holders are behind in a very different way. As you likely know, piracy is everywhere on the internet. If it exists, it is probably uploaded somewhere. Under current law, pirates always seem one step ahead. Some of the most prominent names in the entertainment industry have introduced their proposed solution: SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act.
This bill has been very controversial on the internet in the last few months. What would SOPA lead to? Many have pointed to censorship and death of the free web. But the bill would also create another major problem: it would punish pirates at the cost of everything that is good on the internet. As a content creater, it would eliminate most if not all of my resources and means of distribution. Who knows? Maybe this documentary would make me a "pirate" (some people are really overprotective, but I can use fair use card) and land me in legal trouble. SOPA would sacrifice small creators for corporations.
When we wish to muddle with the Intellectual Property system, this balance must be kept in tact. For this is how we promote progress. This is how we best fulfill the Constitution.
A Documentary I created in late 2011/early 2012.
____________________ Links ___________________
Google+: FilmmakersGuide.net/plus
TWITTER: twitter.com/#!/FilmmakersGuide
Created for C-SPAN's StudentCam Documentary Competition - studentcam.org
____________________ About __________________
Intellectual Property explores our current IP system through the lens of the Constitution. The "Copyright Clause" states that Congress shall have the power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Does our current system live up to this?
The world of Intellectual Property is very important; many of our greatest inventions, books, and media rely upon it. Both the copyright system and the patent system have fallen behind. There are over 700,000 patent applications waiting to be approved. This means that there are many inventors waiting on the USPTO to release their product. Congress created the America Invents Act to fix these problems. Is its first-to-file provision Constitutional? Has it been good for the country?
Meanwhile, copyright holders are behind in a very different way. As you likely know, piracy is everywhere on the internet. If it exists, it is probably uploaded somewhere. Under current law, pirates always seem one step ahead. Some of the most prominent names in the entertainment industry have introduced their proposed solution: SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act.
This bill has been very controversial on the internet in the last few months. What would SOPA lead to? Many have pointed to censorship and death of the free web. But the bill would also create another major problem: it would punish pirates at the cost of everything that is good on the internet. As a content creater, it would eliminate most if not all of my resources and means of distribution. Who knows? Maybe this documentary would make me a "pirate" (some people are really overprotective, but I can use fair use card) and land me in legal trouble. SOPA would sacrifice small creators for corporations.
When we wish to muddle with the Intellectual Property system, this balance must be kept in tact. For this is how we promote progress. This is how we best fulfill the Constitution.
