Public Knowledge
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Formation | 2001, U.S. |
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Type | Non-profit organization |
Purpose | Communications law and policy, intellectual property, technology policy |
Headquarters | Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. |
Website | www.publicknowledge.org |
Public Knowledge is a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based public interest group that is involved in intellectual property law, competition, and choice in the digital marketplace, and an open standards/end-to-end internet.
History[]
Public Knowledge was founded by David Bollier and Gigi Sohn. Chris Lewis is president and CEO, and its directors include Internet Archive Director and Co-founder Brewster Kahle, University of Pennsylvania professor Kevin Werbach, and former FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps.[1] [2] Public Knowledge's work focuses on the three 'IP's of communications and copyright policy: information policy, intellectual property, and Internet Protocol.
The group is known for its advocacy for copyright defenses and exemptions such as fair use and against the expansion of copyright in general. For instance, in response to the FCC's attempt to mandate a broadcast flag for all digital TV tuners, Public Knowledge led the successful legal campaign to have the rule overturned.[3][4][5] One study of the politics of digital rights management policy concluded, "Since its 2001 founding, Public Knowledge has risen to prominence as the pre-eminent DC-based policy advocacy organization within the strong fair use coalition."[6]
Board of directors[]
The following individuals are on the board as of February 2020.[7]
- - Senior Vice President of Starry, Inc., operators of Starry Internet
- - Founding Partner of Integrated Solutions Group
- Michael J. Copps - Former FCC Commissioner, Special Adviser to the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at Common Cause
- - President and Founder of Glen Echo Group
- - Senior Director of Policy, Eaze
- Brewster Kahle - Internet Archive, Digital Librarian, Director and Co-founder
- - Partner, betaworks; Co-founder and Partner, Higher Ground Labs
- - Senior VP of Government Affairs at Consumer Technology Association
- - Director of Consumer Affairs and Senior Policy Counsel, Microsoft
- Kevin Werbach - Professor at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- Former Directors
- Hal Abelson - Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- - VP of Strategic Development and Assoc. GC of Kaltura
- David Bollier - Writer and activist
- - Founder and President of NVPR[8]
- Susan Crawford - Professor, University of Michigan Law School
- Jesse Dylan - Founder, Wondros
- Lawrence Lessig - Writer, Activist, Professor at Stanford Law School
- Warrington Hudlin - Founder, dvRepublic
- Hon. Reed Hundt - Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company
- Joichi Ito - Former Director at MIT Media Lab
- - Founder, Managing Director, Startl
- Gigi B. Sohn - Counselor to former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler; Founder, Public Knowledge
- Jonathan Taplin - Adjunct Professor, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- - President, Wallman Consulting LLC
See also[]
- Copyleft
- Creative Commons
- Digital rights
- Fair use
- Free culture movement
- Net neutrality law
References[]
- ^ "Board". Public Knowledge. 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- ^ "Staff". Public Knowledge. 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- ^ Labaton, Stephen (October 27, 2003). "Rules near on TV piracy; Critics press their case". The New York Times. p. C5.
- ^ Zeller Jr., Tom (February 21, 2005). "Federal effort to head off TV piracy is challenged". The New York Times. pp. C5.
- ^ Labaton, Stephen (May 7, 2005). "Antipiracy rule for broadcasts is struck down". The New York Times. p. A2.
- ^ Herman, Bill D. (2009). "The Battle over Digital Rights Management: A Multi-Method Study of the Politics of Copyright Management Technologies". Bill D. Herman, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania: 87. SSRN 1357203. Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ "Board of Directors". Public Knowledge. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- ^ "Public Knowledge Appoints NVPR President To Board of Directors". Public Knowledge. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
External links[]
- Intellectual property activism
- Intellectual property organizations
- Political advocacy groups in the United States
- Organizations based in Washington, D.C.