Action: Senate attempting to sneak in another copyright extension

[tanaqui]

alexseanchai posted about this in comments to the last check-in post and I thought it was worth pulling out as a top-level post. (Originally via conuly)

Congress is looking to extend copyright protection term to 144 years

Buried in an otherwise harmless act, passed by the House and now being considered in the Senate, this new bill purports to create a new digital performance right -- basically the right to control copies of recordings on any digital platform (ever hear of the internet?) -- for musical recordings made before 1972. These recordings would now have a new right, protected until 2067, which, for some, means a total term of protection of 144 years. The beneficiaries of this monopoly need do nothing to get the benefit of this gift. They don't have to make the work available. Nor do they have to register their claims in advance.

Write to your representatives and consider donating to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

(Why, yes, the copyright on Mickey Mouse is close to running out again....)

GoFundMe for arrested ADAPT protestors

[tanaqui]

https://www.gofundme.com/adapt-warriors-in-indiana-jail

30 ADAPT Warriors were arrested this morning in Indiana where they held a non violent demonstration to stop the shock and torture of disabled people at the Judge Rotenberg Center. They went to the Indianapolis home of HHS Secretary (US) Alex Azar to demand that he tell FDA to release the regulations that would stop the shock.

Indianapolis police are putting power chair users in manual chairs for transit and threatening 36 hour holds with fines for storing power chairs. Even if they are lying about storage costs, Indianapolis has one of the country's most repressive police and criminal justice systems. Fines and Legal fees are excessive and ADAPTers have to change travel bookings and pay those penalties as well.

Please give all that you can to help with legal fines, equipment and travel costs.

ADAPT is "a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom."

Good news: Our 43rd state house flip!

[teaotter]

Democrat Caleb Frostman wins Wisconsin state senate seat, bringing our total to FORTY-THREE statehouse seats we've flipped from red to blue this cycle!

He won the district 51-49 -- one that Trump won 59-36 in 2016. That's a 15-point swing!