This text is an edited and more organized version of the brief 5-minute "kick-off" presentation that I made for the session on "Cultural Industries" at the CopySouth Workshop in Kerala, India. As a kick-off presentation, this text was intended to launch debates and discussion around the topic of copyright and creativity. Two other presenters were Shishir J. Kha (India) and Tatiana Carsen (Argentina).

Thanks to all the CopySouth members for the dialogues and the opportunity to sharpen the arguments set forth in this text, especially to Rustom Bharucha, Lawrence Liang, Carolina Botero, and CopySouth observers Trevor Batten and Gargi Sen. I look forward to continuing the dialogues.

On R. Hauben's article* "ARPA's 50th Anniversary and the Internet, A Model for Basic Research"

(*Hauben's article was written for Futurezone and appears in German at its website. Futurezone is the Technology web site for Orf, Austria's national public broadcast media. The url is http://futurezone.orf.at/hardcore/stories/253842/ Below is Trevor Batten's critical analysis of the article's celebratory message.)

This article really does need close scrutiny -because (in my view) it sketches the rise of a pernicious Military-Industrial complex (as warned against by President Eisenhower) -but which has now become even more dangerous by linking up with educational and entertainment systems (the edutainment business) to become the Military-Industrial-Edutainment complex.....

Celebrating FREE SOFTWARE FOR A SLAVE SOCIETY?

Our contribution to Software Freedom Day, September 20, 2008.
Process/yon Artists' Book and Dialogue Series II:
Free Software for Slave Society?

"PROCESS/YON" is a multi-location, interactive, experimental and collaborative, Social-software Performance Art project by Fatima Lasay and Trevor Batten. It is concerned with creating, exploring and developing new attitudes and creative strategies regarding the technology of the artist's medium.

SURFERS OR SERFS: DIGITAL FREEDOM OR DIGITAL FEUDALISM?

Within the context of issues addressed within the free, open-source, and open-standards community, "Surfers or Serfs" seeks to investigate realities of Freedom within the Culture of Ignorance: Are humans being turned into machines so others can exploit them without them questioning their own slavery? Why do we consider somebody "computer literate" when they can only operate the controls of a commercial computer system?

WIPO: Teaching IPR Myths
by Fatima Lasay
July 2008

In an article by Catherine Saez on Intellectual Property Watch WTO/WIPO Colloquium Aimed At IP Teachers, teachers of intellectual property from developing countries have been invited to attend a two-week colloquium jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 30 June to 10 July.

I wonder if the WTO/WIPO Colloquium will also attempt to dispel the myths of Intellectual Property Rights, or will these myths continue to be taught as doctrinal truths to university professors of law, management and economy from developing countries?

Outside the IPR discourse - a way forward
June 28, 2008

I have been thinking of Munir's post on asia-commons about my letter to the artist regarding IPR enforcement. The comments on the Copy South website also show that many are asking and looking for "a way forward."

Such a "way forward" is difficult because many of us are captive audiences in a global stage show of the IPR discourse where many governments are subservient to richest countries in the world and majority holders of IP capital.

Replies to "Aesthetic" by Adrian Cristobal Jr, Business Mirror
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09182008/opinion03.html

Reply from Trevor Batten

Of course Cristobal's write-up raises many interesting issues -including the nature of property, design, aesthetics and perhaps even the foolishness of politicians.

In the IP Watch Article Complaint Lodged Over EU Parliament's Exclusive Use Of Microsoft Systems" by William New (March 6, 2008), a formal complaint was lodged by advocates of open standard software with the European Parliament over how its information technology systems rely almost exclusively on software manufactured by Microsoft.

The article refers to Microsoft's Windows as "the operating system found in most of the world's personal computers."

Artists’ Statement on the ISO adoption of Microsoft OOXML, and a proposal for ODF as national standard in the Philippines

"Standards" are specifications that are consensually determined as suitable for wide and universal use. "Standards" also serve as guidelines by which resources are used, shared and presented. Therefore, "standards" are mechanisms that impose what is broadly believed as an optimisation of society's resources.

Finding Linux II: Who still uses a modem these days?
by Fatima Lasay

Luckily, while doing the rounds of computer shops in search for a laptop computer running on Linux (or any free/open source operating system), someone at the CompLink shop gave me a full-color catalog-price list.