Copyright and Disruptive Technologies: A Case Study of the Radio-Music War

Gary Rosen, author of Unfair to Genius (Oxford Univ.
Press 2012), will discuss the music industry’s response to the advent of
broadcast radio in the 1920s, and the three decades of copyright war that
followed. The presentation will focus on how the “ether toy” permanently
reshaped the legal and cultural landscape, and on lessons that might be applied
in present-day disputes. As the Wall Street Journal noted in its review
of Gary’s book, “today the devastation of the music industry by the equally if
not even more disruptive technology of the Internet makes these battles of more
than merely historical interest.” The talk, co-sponsored by The George
Washington University Law School, will be followed by a reception. Please
RSVP in advance to csusadc@gmail.com