We have not reported on the latest ASCAP scam, their money raising campaign for the "Legislative Fund for the Arts". An email to their members, exposed here (page 1, page 2) is full of factual errors (again), claiming that copyleft licenses 'undermine our Copyright"' — and they call their members to arms to 'wage this battle' by donating money.
Larry Lessig of Creative Commons replies politely in a letter in the Hunffington Post, clearly stating that 'Creative Commons is a nonprofit that provides copyright licenses pro bono to artists and creators so that they can offer their creative work with the freedom they intend it to carry.' And that Creative Commons builds upon copyright, etc.
Lessig calls upon ASCAP's president Paul Williams to address the different views 'with honesty and good faith' and 'the way decent souls do. In a debate.'
Lessig also mentions that artists using these licenses actually make money. Which is actually not such a surprise, because the two things that musicians make, is music and money. Having said that, and having noticed that ASCAP runs their fundraising campaign only under their .com domain, I am stopping short of concluding that the actual business that's under threat might actually not be making music, but collecting fees.
As we hear today, ASCAP’s president is on his way to make a complete fool of himself, claiming that “those who purport to support a climate of free culture work so hard to silence opposing points of view.”
Obvisously proposing a debate on the issue actually is such an atempt to silence Paul Williams, as he says: “I don’t believe a debate with Lawrence Lessig will serve that purpose. I am well aware of those “copyleft” mouthpieces who take a highly critical view of ASCAP’s efforts to protect our members’ rights. That will not change ASCAP’s commitment to doing so. (…) They will not silence me.”
… read the whole rant on the ASCAP site at http://www.ascap.com/playback/2010/07/action/Copyright.aspx and form an opinion for yourself.