Fair Uses

This blog is mainly a resource for me to keep sorted the multitude of links I collect, with or without the accompanying thoughts. Hopefully, it may be of some use to others interested in some of the issues raised. I’m particularly interested in collecting any evidence-based research studies.

The focus  subject areas are Intellectual Property and IT/Web stuff and their impact on the general community. While it may not always be explicit, the underlying motive is to consider the fairness of those uses. Not in the strictly legal sense of  “fair use” (as featured in US Copyright Law), though of course that does create expectations, but far more generally. Sometimes, it may be that I will just look at the “uses” themselves, as determining what they are can be enough of a challenge in our rapidly developing society.

I’m currently studying for postgraduate degree in International Trade Law with a focus on Intellectual Property Law and doing web development on the side. I’m Australian, so this does have an antipodean slant. Previous lives have include work as a web/IT development manager, a university research manager and as consumer policy advocate and researcher in IT and Communications. I also have undergraduate degrees in Arts (majoring in English Literature) and Law. I also have interests in Psychology and Economics – one day I’ll have degrees in those subjects too!

A big reason for my interest in Intellectual Property is that their laws have quite probably  seen the most radical of changes of any area of law in the past 20 years. It’s my belief that these changes have occured without sufficient analysis or evidence from a user’s point of view. When I say “user”, I don’t mean consumer. I’ve worked as as a consumer advocate but I’ve also spent enough time working for private enterprise and on developing my own products to be able to see things from a commercial viewpoint.

These views are my own personal views and they are, hopefully, open to change.

Thanks for visiting,

Catherine