The cooperatively-owned internet service provider May First/People Link has set a new standard for transparency. It has set up a wiki space which includes details on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the threats it poses to activists:
“The impact of this law is devastating for activists. We’ve heard numerous stories of organizations that have had their web sites taken down at critical points during their campaigns based on spurious claims of copyright infringement.”
However, May First/People Link goes one step further. Their wiki includes a detailed explanation of takedown notices and how they responded to each. Typically, these requests were to takedown activist “spoof” websites, whose purpose is to raise awareness, not to violate copyright law.
Groups like May First/People Link are helping to expose the often fanatical approach to copyright enforcement and this kind of transparency is exceedingly important. The current legal environment in most countries is heavily favoured towards the zealous protection of intellectual property rights, even at the cost of fair use and human rights.