Cultural Bullies

Wired News' Amit Asaravala reports that the real value of David Bollier's Brand Name Bullies is in its numerous case studies of copyright and trademark battles.

As the title suggests, the book is an intense critique of the U.S. copyright and trademark system and the corporations that use it as a weapon against competitors and anyone else who might threaten them. Bollier argues that the court's willingness to let corporations get away with such bullying is increasingly eroding our "cultural commons" -- the collection of images, stories, sounds and other creative expressions that, due to their significance and prevalence, no longer belong to any single person or company.

If by bullying, he means litigation, then he's correct. Corporations, as evidenced by the archives to this blog, are willing to throw their weight (money) around (at lawyers) to protect their investments (intellectual property).

[Bollier] only shows us how the immediate parties in his case studies are affected by the outcome of each legal challenge. There is little additional research or analysis to show how a particular legal battle has had a chilling effect on other artists, business owners or consumers.

If consumers were so concerned about protecting their right to use the copyrights and trademarks which the corporations assert to be under their domain, then they would need to fight back and spend substantial dollars to assert their free speech rights. On an individual basis it may seem difficult, but as a collective it could work.

Go to Brand Name Bullies website.