April 22, 2013

A Disturbing Tale of Copyright Abuse

Fox Censors Cory Doctorow’s “Homeland” Novel From Google
http://torrentfreak.com/fox-censors-cory-doctorows-homeland-novel-from-google-130420/

This is an example of Copyright Law trumping author rights, one of the things that led me to question the oft stated claim that copyright benefits creators. Yet here we have a name brand author who has chosen to release most of his work under Creative Commons licenses that allow people to share digital copies of his work legally.

Yet now the work Cory Doctorow chooses to share in this way is being taken off the internet by corporations without the legal right to do so.
One inherent problem with DMCA takedowns is that it allows work to be taken down based on allegations. There seems no downside to making a specious DMCA takedown request. Big corporations just have to say “take it down” and works are disappeared from the internet.

If someone calls for a takedown of your work, the onus is on you – the aggrieved party – to fight to get it restored. This has happened before, and I am sure it will happen again, if only because the law allows it.

Cory Doctorow is an established author, with a huge audience, legions of fans, and media outlets ranging from Boing Boing to The Guardian. If they can take down his work with impunity, they can easily take down yours, mine, or anyone’s.

With impunity.

March 1, 2013

my story, so far

[This is the third and final portion of my pictorial mini-autobiography. The first part is here, and the second part is there.]

During the 1980s, as a Sheridan Media Arts grad, I worked in the budding Canadian film and television industry. At the same time, I was writing “spec scripts” to submit to potential television series. This paid off with my first script sale, and the realization of my dream of writing professionally.

taking a break from television writing; with Gabrielle St. George, Zuzanna Vallis, Peter Mohan and an unidentified extra in the Night Heat holding cell

Taking a break from television writing, with Gabrielle St. George, Zuzanna Vallis, Peter Mohan and an extra in the “Night Heat” holding cell (1987)

Three Generations (circa 1992)

Holding my newborn, with my Dad, Lynn Russwurm.

shooting home video (circa 1990s)

Catching my reflection in a warplane canopy at the Tiger Boys Fly-In (2012)

During my family hiatus, I worked at developing my photography, blogging and social networking, developing digital skills, learning to hand code websites, restore photographs and create digital art.

Laurel L. Russwurm, self publishing novelist, author of “Inconstant Moon” (2010)

These days I’ve reclaimed my dream, and so I’m writing and self publishing my own novels. My debut novel, “Inconstant Moon,” is serialized online, and I’m currently at work finishing me second novel, “The Girl In The Blue Flame Cafe.”