Podcast episode 45

The Surprising History of Copyright and The Promise of a Post-Copyright World

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Allow me to introduce you to a website you’ve probably never heard of: questioncopyright.org. The site includes an article by Karl Fogel titled The Surprising History of Copyright and The Promise of a Post-Copyright World. Although the author is not concerned with the monetization of ministry, the arguments are compelling, setting an example for all Christians on how to think critically and historically about intellectual property. Although the author does not argue his points from Scripture, the article serves as a reminder of how much of the secular world is deeply concerned with the injustice, deceit, intimidation, and other negative practical results of the copyright cartel; while Christians by and large have failed to address these issues in any significant way–either through the lens of God’s Word or out of pragmatism and a zeal for justice. As I’ve said before, even if you disagree with everything Selling Jesus stands for, or with everything in this article, the fact remains that the Church is guilty of no small neglect in the critical and biblical assessment of copyright and intellectual property law and use, particularly as it relates to ministry content and the Word of God itself. Most people believe copyright exists to protect artists, but its history reveals a different story: it originated as a tool for government censorship in 16th-century England, later evolving into a distributor-controlled system via the Statute of Anne. Publishers, not authors, drove the creation and strengthening of copyright laws to maintain control over distribution and profit, a history often obscured by the industry's narrative of artist protection.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sellingjesus.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thedoreanprinciple.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copy.church