Explores how corporate lobbying threatens online freedoms. Features unseen research material from original documents, interviews and Freedom of Information requests.
Hollywood lobbyists, secret talks and one unlikely explosive issue - internet copyright. In this original analysis of three attempts to bring in new laws to defend copyright on the internet, Monica Horten investigates the dance of influence between lobbyists and their political proxies and unmasks the sophistry of their arguments.
Hollywood lobbyists, secret talks and one unlikely explosive issue - internet copyright. In this original analysis of three attempts to bring in new laws to defend copyright on the internet, Monica Horten investigates the dance of influence between lobbyists and their political proxies and unmasks the sophistry of their arguments.
'This brilliant exposé shows how corporations and industry lobbyists manipulate the governance of digital networks to their own advantage. Behind the rhetoric about "free markets" and the "openness" of the net lurks a power politics reminiscent of the opium wars. Horten provides a detailed, beautifully written case study of the way neo-liberalism routinely and cynically cancels out the very rights and freedoms - privacy, due process - its legitimacy depends upon, as soon as they threaten to impede the pursuit of profit. A must read for anyone interested in how the contemporary mediascape has been prestructured to favour corporations over individuals.' Graeme Kirkpatrick, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Manchester University 'A Copyright Masquerade is an intriguing narrative about the ways that the copyright debate in the UK has been shaped by key stakeholders in their own interests to the point where it threatens online freedoms. This book is a compelling read for lawyers and others interested in the development of intellectual property law and it will stimulate important debates for years to come.' Professor David S. Wall, Durham University 'In this timely and well judged analysis, Horten demonstrates that the Internet age, far from transforming corporate politics has merely shifted the concerns of policy-makers and powerful private sectors interests. If there has been a change, as she establishes, it is in the inability of copyright politics to continue to be conducted in smoke-filled back rooms. This book allows us to be guardedly optimistic about the ability of political process to properly balance the legitimate rights of consumers and copyright holding corporations.' Christopher May , Professor of Political Economy, Lancaster University 'A Copyright Masquerade can verge on academic, but it remains engaging. At times, the legislative history (and the scandal involved) even has elements of intrigue. But most importantly, it's extremely informative and demystifying, right from the first page's handy table of common acronyms. For those interested in the structures that influence copyright policy around the world, Horten's book will prove a valuable resource.' Parker Higgins, Electronic Frontier Foundation 'Anyone interested in the future of copyright law in the European Union and the role lobbyists and corporations play in shaping legislation should read this timely and provocative book.' Simon Stokes, Entertainment Law Review