Why I think the copyright system is broken, an anecdote

The EFF has an excellent article about President Obama's gift to Queen Elizabeth: an iPod filled with music and video.

Article here.

If the gift were physical copies of the items (e.g. if he wanted to give her DVDs that would not play in her DVD player, as he did with Gordon Brown), then there is no question that the first sale doctrine applies. However, in this post-Napster era, copyright owners seem to have gone completely insane with attempting to impose control over digital distribution. The man on the street can tell you that this is folly, but they persist nonetheless.

Just for reference, I think that content producers should get paid for their art. That does not generate any love for the RIAA, the record companies, or the other racketeers that make up the current copyright thugs.

Image above licensed under creative commons.