Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back

Melbourne Law School professor Giblin (Code Wars) and Boing Boing cofounder Doctorow (Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free) deliver a lucid and damning exposé of how big business captured the culture markets. Contending that anticompetitive practices are hollowing out the music, literature, video game, journalism, film, and TV industries, the authors untangle the complex web of contracts, regulations, and legal arguments deployed by corporations to maximize their profits and prevent new competitors from entering their markets. Interwoven with maddening tales of exploitation (the creator of the TV show Cold Case estimates that her agency, CAA, made 94 cents of every dollar she earned from the show) are detailed discussions of statutory licensing reform, copyright infringement detection systems, and other technical matters. The authors’ proposed solutions include granting creators “an inalienable right to ‘appropriate and proportionate’ pay for the use of their work,” and the creation of “a global, multi-language database with high quality metadata about who owns what sound recordings and songs in which countries.” The book’s broad scope, expert policy recommendations, and flashes of wit (Disney executives are “cartoon villains” for refusing to honor science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster’s contracts) make it a must-read for anyone involved in these industries. (Sept.)