Tech Giants,Monkeys,and Censorship: A Look Back at Techdirt’s Headlines from September 21st – 27th
A decade and a half ago,the seeds of today’s digital battles were being sown – from aggressive copyright enforcement to the very definition of authorship in the age of artificial intelligence. This week in Techdirt history, September 21st – 27th, 2015 and 2010, reveals a landscape grappling with issues that remain strikingly relevant, impacting internet freedom, content creation, and the power dynamics between corporations, governments, and individuals.
The ongoing tension between established industries and disruptive technologies is a constant theme. In 2015, Cox Communications sued Tempe, Arizona, attempting to block the deployment of Google Fiber, foreshadowing the continued struggles for municipal broadband access. Simultaneously, PETA ignited a bizarre legal challenge, suing on behalf of a crested macaque claiming copyright ownership of a “selfie” - a case that raised fundamental questions about authorship and intellectual property rights in a world increasingly populated by non-human actors and AI-generated content. These events highlight the enduring fight to balance innovation with established legal frameworks.
Fifteen Years Ago: The Dawn of Aggressive Digital Control
In 2010, the specter of widespread internet censorship loomed large. U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch proposed a bill to censor websites deemed “pirate sites” by the Department of Justice, sparking concerns about overreach and the potential for stifling legitimate online activity.The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) simultaneously explored using the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to block Wikileaks, demonstrating a growing desire to control facts flow.
Copyright enforcement efforts were equally aggressive. The U.S. Copyright Group faced a setback when a judge rejected their mass subpoenas,while Righthaven’s legal claims came under scrutiny. France’s Hadopi initiative began issuing tens of thousands of infringement notices,despite a leaked report revealing a lack of accuracy checks. Austria proposed a “piracy tax” on hard drives, and Google secured a favorable ruling in Spain, avoiding liability for user-uploaded content.
Beyond copyright, state Attorneys General, having successfully pressured Craigslist to remove its adult services section, turned their attention to Backpage, signaling a broader pattern of targeting online platforms for user-generated content.These actions collectively illustrate a period of intense debate and legal maneuvering as the internet’s architecture and governance were being contested.
