Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Tuesday, October 26, 2004

The candidates on tech/info policy

CompTIA asked George W. Bush and John Kerry a dozen broad questions about technology and information policy. None of the questions directly touched on OA issues (such as the NIH OA plan), but this one came the closest.

[CompTIA] What should federal policy be toward protecting intellectual property on the Internet --recognizing the harmless role played by mere conduits-- and facilitating the free flow of ideas based on those creations?

[Bush] I strongly support efforts to protect intellectual property and will continue to work with Congress to ensure all intellectual property is properly protected. Technology is a critical conduit of information and sometimes can be misused for illegal copyright infringement. Blaming the technology does not address the issue. We must vigorously enforce intellectual property protections and prosecute the violations, not the technology. My Administration has launched the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) initiative to do just that. I have also worked to obtain China's support for stricter enforcement and more severe penalties for piracy and counterfeiting of American ideas and innovations.

[Kerry] I do not condone the illegal sharing of copyrighted material. We must ensure that our laws protect the creations of individuals and companies while not unreasonably stifling technological innovation. I am open to examining whether legislative action is necessary to ensure that a person who lawfully obtains or receives a transmission of a digital work may back up a copy of it for archival purposes or transfer it to a digital media device for the purpose of non public performance or display.