MIT Interview with Jack Valenti
The Tech, an MIT newspaper, has published an interview with Jack Valenti, CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Valenti comes off as uninformed about the nuances of the copyright debates and seems only capable of speaking about the issues in soundbites that feel, to me, a bit pre-programmed — like this is going to be his response to any question regarding copyright, no matter the nuance. I imagine his PR flack reminding him before the interview, “Stay on message, Jack!”
It’s all the more apparent because I’m about halfway through Free Culture, by Larry Lessig, which you can purchase in the bookstore or download for free. In a testament to Lessig’s point, I read a couple chapters in PDF format, then bounced over to Amazon to purchase the physical object for more efficient and comfortable Metro and coffee-shop reading.
Anyway, Lessig, the anti-Valenti (or maybe the Valenti antidote, we can hope), presented both sides of the issue in a comprehensive, nuanced, and not-so-propagandic way. Highly recommended reading.