Draft: Society’s Bill of Rights for Digital Music

I was reading with some interest the TechDirt analysis of the ASCAP Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers and thought to start drafting something similar for society - naturally there are some differences but if others would like to add some comments to this perhaps we could all start to think a little more about how we want our society and the future to be shaped:

1. All internet users, regardless of their country of origin should have equal access to music
2. All music should have be given equal prominence and treatment no matter what
software platform it is on
3. All internet users should have equal opportunity to upload and share their creations
4. All non commercial uses should be treated as such with no threat of copyright, contract or
other law suits
5. All digital music should be free of digital rights management protection
6. All commercial creators shall cooperate with the development of an alternative licensing
regime which will seek to maximise the free flow of culture whilst providing reasonable
compensation
7. All citizens of the world shall be free to enjoy and exchange music from all other countries
without any digital, economic, social or lawful restrictions other than those associated with
the above mentioned alternative licensing and compensation scheme
8. All citizens will be entitled to take an active role in developing new music including new
styles, political and socially beneficial music, and undertake to educate the youth to do so as
well
9. All creators will be free to continue to exploit their music in real space in anyway they chose
but only in addition to their participation in the alternative licensing and compensation
scheme
10. These rights shall endure for eternity and beyond.


Further Reading:
ASCAP, A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers (May 2008)<http://www.ascap.com/rights/> at 9 June 2008

TechDirt, ASCAPs Bill of Wrongs (30 May 2008) <http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080529/2308011264.shtml> at 9 June 2008