GOP Committee Causes Stir-Pulling Paper on Copyright Reform
GOP Committee Causes Stir by Posting, Pulling Paper on Copyright Reform
One of the big stories in the tech world this weekend was a policy brief published by the Republican Study Committee titled “Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix It,” which people called “shockingly sensible” and a “watershed” paper. However, just one day after it went up, the paper suddenly vanished.
The committee’s executive director Paul S. Teller sent out this explanation:
We at the RSC take pride in providing informative analysis of major policy issues and pending legislation that accounts for the range of perspectives held by RSC Members and within the conservative community. Yesterday you received a Policy Brief on copyright law that was published without adequate review within the RSC and failed to meet that standard. Copyright reform would have far-reaching impacts, so it is incredibly important that it be approached with all facts and viewpoints in hand. As the RSC’s Executive Director, I apologize and take full responsibility for this oversight.
The same publications that had praised the paper now jumped on the committee, accusing the group of “flip-flopping,” “cowardice,” and being browbeat by Hollywood lobbyists.
So what exactly did the paper advocate? We were able to snag a copy, so you can see for yourself: