-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [ NNSquad ] Vint Cerf: The government is going overboard in Internet copyright control Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:20:57 -0800 From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com> To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org Vint Cerf: The government is going overboard in Internet copyright control http://j.mp/vwooUt (VentureBeat) "When asked what he would tell the developer of the Next Big Thing, the technology that could replace the Internet, Cerf said, "Shoot the patent lawyer." The room, which was full of chief information officers for large, proprietary companies, burst into both laughter and applause. Cerf continued, "Bob [Kahn] and I knew we could not succeed if we tried to protect the Internet's design. As it turns out that worked out really well, and I think that's still pretty good advice." Cerf also spoke out against the Department of Homeland Security's recent seizures of websites, such as last year's seizure of scores of music sites and communities for copyright violations, which he called "a blunt instrument that can and should be exercised much more carefully." - - - --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com