Is internet access a public utility subject to a higher “obligation to serve” standard, or merely a contractual service that can be denied for violation of any agreed upon term of service? Pirate Cinema asks us to wonder about whether the way we treat intellectual property follows how we treat other kinds of property.īut first, Trent’s adventure begins when his family’s internet access is disconnected because of his downloading activity. I will focus not on copyright issues per se, but the much more interesting context Pirate Cinema creates for understanding copyrights in the scheme of property law. Rather than steadfastly advocating a position, Pirate Cinema advocates advocacy itself advocacy informed by human needs, respectful of human institutions created to meet those needs, and appreciative that these systems are changeable to satisfy our needs. Pirate Cinema takes clear positions on copyright issues, but what is exceptionally fun about Pirate Cinema is the energy Doctorow puts forth to set out the whole cornucopia of property issues so we may consider law and theory.

If you haven’t read Pirate Cinema, as always with Doctorow’s books you can download it for free, or you can do as I did and buy a copy.Ĭory Doctorow is well-known for both his fiction and his informed, thoughtful copyright activism.

Guided by his vagabond friends Jem, Dodger and a young woman named “26”, Trent matures from filmmaker to copyright activist. deVille) who’s obsession is creating mashups using images from the net. The story is told from the perspective of 16-year old filmmaker Trent McCauley (a.k.a. an author, editor, or illustrator) and you have an idea for a post that would be a good fit for Law and the Multiverse, feel free to contact us!Ĭory Doctorow’s novel Pirate Cinema is a 2012 young adult speculative fiction novel set in near-future England that follows roughly a year in the life of a band of footloose youths living in, around, and outside traditional London society. an attorney, judge, or law professor) or a comic book professional (e.g. Thanks to Stuart for this fantastic post! If you are a legal professional (e.g. This guest post was written by Stuart Langley, an intellectual property attorney.

Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow