Here’s more from John Perry Barlow, talking at ilaw in Rio:
It’s time to re-envision how we should get paid for the works of our minds. I believe that Brazil has a unique opportunity to help us all re-imagine this. I’ve observed that Brazilians have a strong sense that music is shared property… It is the joint property of Brazilian society. So I propose that this is a good place to take a stand against the corporate copyright holders.
…Giving music away does work… I have suggested to Minister [Gilberto] Gil that Brazilian music be put on the Internet; this would create a worldwide flowering of creatvity inspired by this music.
And earlier, talking about the Digital Divide:
Brazil is the greatest inside joke that I’ve ever seen. This creates a kind of digital divide between Brazil and the rest of the world. This is a unique problem that has to be addressed.
I used to think that the use of English on the Internet was no big deal; after my experiences here, especially, I’ve changed my mind. I spent a month here feeling like a stroke victim. It’s a good thing that many of you are very good at communicating with body language.
An interchange with Charles Nesson and an audience member:
Charlie: Audience–why isn’t deregulating telecom more important to this audience than other things on the list?
Audience: It’s funny when we talk about IP and protection–the fight against piracy. This is the view of the company, of the US. We are a poor country; our priorities are different. It surprises me that the US is surprised that we have a problem with piracy. Of course we do: people want access to the software; they simply cannot buy it.
The discussion of this piracy is therefore empty, useless.
Curiously enough, the cost of participating in the next ILAW at Stanford makes it so no one from Brazil will come.
I’m following Donna Wentworth’s reports from the conference, at Copyfight, with great interest. Let’s hope that full transcripts will be available later.
Update: Here’s Lawrence Lessig‘s comment on the encounter between Barlow and Gilberto Gil.
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