December 2010

Museums shouldn't bow to censorship of any kind

[Commentary] Against all odds, the stodgy old National Portrait Gallery has recently become one of the most interesting, daring institutions in Washington.

Its 2009 show on Marcel Duchamp's self-portrayal was important, strange and brave. "Hide/Seek," the show about gay love that it opened in October, was crucial - a first of its kind - and courageous, as well as being full of wonderful art. Now the NPG, and the Smithsonian Institution it is part of, look set to come off as cowards.

Today, after a few hours of pressure from the Catholic League and various conservatives, it decided to remove a video by David Wojnarowicz, a gay artist who died from AIDS-related illness in 1992. As part of "Hide/Seek," the gallery was showing a four-minute excerpt from a 1987 piece titled "A Fire in My Belly," made in honor of Peter Hujar, an artist-colleague and lover of Wojnarowicz who had died of AIDS complications in 1987. And for 11 seconds of that meandering, stream-of-consciousness work (the full version is 30 minutes long) a crucifix appears onscreen with ants crawling on it. But that is the portion of the video that the Catholic League has decried as "designed to insult and inflict injury and assault the sensibilities of Christians," and described as "hate speech" - despite the artist's own hopes that the passage would speak to the suffering of his dead friend. The irony is that Wojnarowicz's reading of his piece puts it smack in the middle of the great tradition of using images of Christ to speak about the suffering of all mankind.

PBS lineup moves to KOCE-TV in Los Angeles

Los Angeles fans of PBS will soon have to get “Sesame Street,” “Nova” and other iconic shows from a station in Orange County. Starting Jan. 1, KOCE-TV Channel 48, the Huntington Beach outlet that currently airs only one-quarter of the PBS lineup, will begin beaming the full network schedule to a huge swath of Southern California that will encompass Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura counties as well as Santa Barbara. The station is also negotiating with cable operators in the few communities in the region that do not currently carry it. The move had been expected since KCET-TV Channel 28 announced in October that it would exit PBS following a months-long dispute over dues and other issues. KCET will become an independent public broadcaster and is pursuing a schedule based on local programs, BBC repeats and news and documentary shows produced in Canada, Japan and elsewhere.

New Jersey Governor Is a YouTube Star

Since Gov Chris Christie (R-NJ) took office in January, his staff has spread his message on YouTube, posting sharply edited videos of him talking tough or dressing down hostile questioners, a stark contrast with the set pieces that make up most other politicians’ offerings online. The style and sheer size of the oeuvre -- 163 videos -- has helped make Gov Christie, a Republican in a largely Democratic state, a YouTube sensation, with myriad fans around the country who can describe his goals, dislikes and manner.

Fantasy and reality in intellectual property policy

[Commentary] What do we really know about the costs of violations of intellectual property for national economies? Or, conversely, about the economic benefits of strengthening copyright, trademark and patent protection? You could be forgiven for thinking that we know a great deal.

Once you get beyond the government’s fabricated statistics and the industry groups’ fanciful ones, the answer to that question is far from obvious. In fact, government action to shore up one business model may produce net welfare losses to society as a whole. The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently asked for comments on the enforcement of intellectual property rights online. One hopes that the answers it received were more substantive, nuanced and data-rich than those that have dominated the discussion so far. Fantasy figures make for nightmarish policy choices.

Apple takes on Nokia at trade commission

Steve Jobs made Apple's iPhone one of the best-selling smart phones on the market with its touch-screen, fast Web connection and access to more than 300,000 downloadable applications. Now he's adding lawyers to the mix.

Apple is squaring off this week against Nokia Oyj, the world's largest maker of mobile phones, before the International Trade Commission. The dispute, in which each side alleges intellectual property violations, is also a precursor to Apple patent battles with Motorola Inc. and HTC Corp. At stake is leadership in the U.S. smart phone market.

Benton

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