Cory Doctorow: people who claim to protect artists from pirates are the true scam artists
You know who peddles false hope to naive would-be artists? People who go around implying that but for all those internet pirates, there’d be full creative employment for all of us. That the reason artists earn so little is because our audiences can’t be trusted, that once we get this pesky internet thing solved, there’ll be jam tomorrow for everyone. If you want to damn someone for selling a bill of goods to creative people, go after the DRM vendors with their ridiculous claims about copy-proof files; go after the labels who say that wholesale lawsuits against fans on behalf of artists (where labels get to pocket the winnings) are good business; go after the studios who are suing to make it impossible for anyone to put independent video on the internet without a giant corporate legal budget. — Cory Doctorow
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
- An interview with Desiree Akhavan
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
- Hope and despair in Woolwich town centre
- The best church names in London, and where they come from
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- The five spookiest abandoned London hospitals
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
© 2009-2025 Snipe London.