Word: sheffner
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...your friends, that was probably illegal, but the record companies were never going to sue you in a million years because it was low level, it was totally under the radar, and they just sort of considered it a cost of doing business,” says Benjamin S. Sheffner ’93, the copy-conservative lawyer behind the popular copyright blog “Copyrights and Campaigns.” “The Internet completely changed the game—all of a sudden the teenager who used to be making a mix-tape for his friend...
...there is a voice asking to be heard on the copy-conservative side right now, it’s that of Sheffner, who has worked on copyright issues with broadcast giants NBC and Fox, and recently served as a special counsel to the 2008 campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. With a little time on his hands following the November election, Sheffner, who had some journalism experience on Capitol Hill prior to law school, turned to blogging about copyright issues—a sector where, he said, there was a need for a more conservative viewpoint...
...complicating issue, Sheffner said, is one of professional liability. “If you work at a big law firm and you start debating people in the comments section in the corner of some blog, whether you like it or not, people are going to attribute your views to your company or your law firm or your client,” he said. “So people who believe strongly in copyright and make a living doing so might be most knowledgeable, but they’re less able to speak publicly...
...formulation, copy-conservatives suggest, engineered to crowd out their side of the story. “They want to create this narrative—it’s a classic David and Goliath narrative, this one kid fighting against these gigantic corporations and being crushed,” says Sheffner. “But the reality is it’s a lot more complicated.” In September, 2003, the RIAA announced that it would begin the first wave of what eventually became an (occasionally unsightly) onslaught of some 35,000 lawsuits against users caught illegally sharing files?...
...Sheffner, the copy-conservative blogger, puts it differently: “Everything in this case has been abnormal and weird.” It’s a fact that may have cost the Tenenbaum team on more than one occasion. It also may be the team’s best chance of succes. With several hurdles left to clear before a trial date can be set, those following the case will have to wait...