“Challengers of copyright and patent legislation often portray themselves as liberators, bravely opposing a greedy global corporate culture that tries to claim each bit of intellectual property for itself the way imperialist explorers tried to plant the motherland’s flag on every unclaimed piece of land. Meanwhile, advocates of tighter control over copyright see things very differently, viewing this attack as an assault on the rights of inventors and writers, undermining those who invest their time and labor to answer human needs and desires.”
Tag: 11.14.05
Questions Mount About NY’s Landmarks Commission
New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has not acted on helping to decide the fate of 2 Columbus Circle. “Once considered the most powerful agency of its kind, the commission has lost the confidence of many mainstream preservationists by repeatedly refusing to hold a public hearing on the building’s fate. At the urging of those preservation advocates, a city councilman, Bill Perkins, has introduced a bill that could force the commission to hold public hearings on potential landmarks. The implication is that the commission cannot always be trusted to protect the public interest.”
Iran Accuses Farmers Of Cultural plunder
“Iranian cultural heritage officials are on a collision course with rural communities after embarking on a legal crusade to reclaim the hills and nearby land on which, they believe, once stood the city of Jondishapour, where the Persian King Shapour I vanquished the Roman emperor Valerian more than 1,700 years ago. They have issued cultivation bans and pressed criminal charges against dozens of farmers accused of destroying parts of the archaeologically sensitive 300-hectare (741-acre) site.”
Tate Admits Error In Ofili Purchase
The Tate now says it made a “technical error” in seeking money from the National Art Collection Fund to buy a work by Chris Ofili, one of the Tate’s trustees. “The Tate did not tell the fund it had already committed itself to purchasing The Upper Room when it made its application in November 2004. Last month Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota wrote a letter to the body offering to repay its £75,000 grant.”
The Zaha Hadid Phenomenon
“For years, Zaha Hadid’s architecture was problematic. Her ideas were stunning, particularly when ex-pressed as large paintings full of what seemed like exploding buildings, sharp angles and jagged planes, but many found it hard to believe that they could ever be built. Today, however, she seems omnipresent.”