Skip to main content

Copyright report that upset Hollywood got the author fired

Derek Khanna - Hollywood enemy
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t piss off Hollywood: That’s the hard lesson learned by Derek Khanna, the 24-year-old staffer of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) who wrote a paper criticizing the current state of copyright policy in the U.S. According to the Washington Examiner, Khanna was recently told that he will no longer have a job with the RSC when Congress returns to session at the beginning of next year.

The paper, entitled “Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix it,” reportedly caused quite the ruckus in both Los Angeles and Washington due to its controversial stance on copyright reform. Among Khanna’s so-called fixes were tight restrictions on the amount of monetary damages copyright holders could collect from instances of infringement, expansion of fair use, the punishment of false copyright claims, and narrow limits on the terms of copyrights.

Khanna pull no punches in his critique of current copyright law, calling it “corporate welfare that hurts innovation and hurts the consumer.”

While Khanna’s ideas sent copyright reformists into a state of bliss, the top brass of the RSC were far from happy. Less than 24 hours after the paper’s publication, the RSC pull the paper from its website. And RSC Executive Director Paul S. Teller sent out an email saying that Khanna’s report ” was published without adequate review within the RSC and failed to meet that standard.”

The RSC itself is a caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives. As the Washington Examiner’s Timothy P. Cartney points out, a good many Republican Members of the House have deep ties with the Hollywood entertainment industry. Former Republican House Judiciary Committee staffer Mitch Glazier is now Senior Executive Vice President of the RIAA. And Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is the man behind the hotly contested Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which had the full blessing from groups like the RIAA and MPAA. But it was reportedly Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) – a major recipient of political contributions from the music industry – who put the gun to Khanna’s RSC career.

We reached out to Khanna for comment, but he did not immediately respond. He did, however, refuse to comment on the matter to Ars Technica. Blackburn has also refused requests for comment.

See Khanna’s full report below:

RSC policy brief: Three Myths about Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix It

Topics
Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
10 best R-rated movies streaming right now
A woman and her child stands next to a dead body in Anatomy of a Fall.

R-rated movies are typically expected by audiences to push the boundaries of what can be depicted on the big screen. Whether it's gory horror movies or steamy erotic thrillers, these movies were designed specifically to get an "R" rating and be shown primarily to adults.

From modern masterpieces like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to classics like Alien, some of the best R-rated movies ever made are available to stream on different platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Max. With bold narratives and unfiltered realism, these are great picks for an enjoyable movie night among adult friends.

Read more
Stop! Watch these Netflix movies before March 2024 ends
Robert Pattinson in The Batman.

One of the blessings of streaming services like Netflix is that, in addition to their libraries of original titles, they also have titles that come and go on a regular basis. While the introduction of new titles is always nice, the downside is that titles usually leave the service when new ones join.

As March turns into April, we're going to lose some genuinely great movies on Netflix. While you still have time, though, you should check these three very different movies out.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Original Theatrical Trailer

Read more
March Madness live stream 2024: Watch every Sweet 16 game
Logo for the Sweet 16 in March Madness.

With the always-thrilling first weekend of the NCAA tournament in the books, we now move from quantity to quality. As we get ready for the Sweet 16, each matchup from here on out will be of the must-watch variety. Just four wins sit between the remaining schools and a national championship, so you know there are plenty of huge moments on the way.

There are 12 games this weekend—eight Sweet 16 matchups on Thursday and Friday, and then four Elite 8 contests on Saturday and Sunday. They'll all be televised on either CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV. Fortunately, if you don't have cable, there are a bevy of options for watching the Big Dance for free or cheap.
Is There a Free March Madness Live Stream?

Read more