Podcasters have been organizing themselves in the UK, Ireland and Germany and are fighting for the proper rights to use music and other materials.
The current hot topic is a World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) treaty that could severely impact Podcasters’ ability to use materials in their podcasts. Apparently this treaty would make it harder to use materials even if they are licensed under a Creative Commons, not copyrightable or public domain.
Here is a petition that asks for a change in the proposed treaty.
Some more background information:
- Wiki: WIPO Broadcast treaty
- Column by James Boyle in the Financial Times: Constitutional Circumvention
I signed the petition because I think it is important that these changes are watched carefully.
It would be nice if podcasters would get proper rights to use materials and easy administration of whatever process is necessary to do so…
… But something tells me this will take some time.
In the meantime you can use Podsafe music of course: