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Interview with Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow

30 June 2015

We took the opportunity to interview writer and digital rights activist Cory Doctorow who was here to launch his graphic novel In Real Life as part of the Kosmopolis ongoing programme.

What are the benefits of videogames? How should new technologies and the internet be integrated into school education? What’s wrong with copyright law, and how would you change it?

Doctorow considers videogames, like novels, to be a form of artistic expression, and defends their capacity to create new imaginaries. He says that he sees the internet as a tool for collaboration and organisation, and that it should be incorporated into education openly and without taboos. He criticises current copyright law in that it treats all works equally, without taking into account whether they are used for commercial, cultural, or other purposes. He proposes two very clear changes: that authors or creators of a work should have control over the copyright of their own works and the power to authorise a waiver if they choose, and that we should move towards having less intermediaries between authors and their audience, as this would allow fair competition.

Doctorow is an active defender of free online culture, Creative Commons, and the liberalisation of copyright laws. As such, he has transferred the copyright of the interview so that we can share the content freely.