By Ruth Vitale
I am a political liberal. Grover Norquist and Carly Fiorina are political conservatives. If we were to sit down and look for common ground on issues, there might not be much. Except for copyright.
Here’s what Grover and Carly and over 60 (mostly) conservative organizations had to say a few days ago:
Intellectual Property Rights
- Are A Fundamental Property Right Deserving the Same Respect as Physical Property
- Promote Free Speech and Expression
- Are Vital to Economic Competitiveness
- Must Be Protected Internationally Through Effective IP Provisions in Trade Agreements
- Are Integral to Consumer Protection and National Security
- Must Be Respected and Protected on the Internet
- Benefit from Voluntary Initiatives that Address Intellectual Property Theft
These groups put their shared principles in a letter to members of Congress that you can read here.
There really should not be a partisan or ideological divide on core principles of copyright. When liberal creatives came together in Hollywood recently, at the request of a Democratic member of Congress, they spoke with one voice in support of the right of creators to have their work respected.
When conservative creators came together recently in Hollywood, at the request of a Republican member of Congress, they did the same thing.
In the creative community – whether in LA, New York, Atlanta or Nashville – there is no difference based on party or ideology when it comes to the question of taking the profit out of piracy and respecting copyright.
Our creative community needs to see past whatever partisan differences we have and work together on these issues. We welcome everyone – conservative, liberal, or in between – who shares our respect for creativity.
