BTB #265: Copyright & Commerce: Orphan Works & Fair Use in a Digital Age

From the perspective of copyright, 2011 has been a year like so many others in the Digital Age. Suits and counter-suits over copyrighted text, music, film and video continue to fly in and out of court. The long-standing "Google Books" case is, for now, scheduled for trial in 2012, while the HathiTrust - a consortium of university libraries - has drawn a new lawsuit from authors for announcing plans to post online copyrighted texts that may or may not be "orphan works." A panel of IP experts and commentators offered their answers and insights into these compelling issues this morning at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Maria A. Pallante: The 12th Register of Copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office; Cecilia Kang: National technology reporter for the Washington Post; and Victor Perlman: General Counsel, American Society of Media Photographers spoke with CCC's Chris Kenneally