Monday, February 17, 2020

George Washington: Pro-Copyright

Today, President's Day, the U.S. government observes George Washington's birthday. No doubt most people are aware of many of the accomplishments of the Father of our Nation. Yet comparatively few are aware that George Washington was pro-copyright. As President, he signed the first federal law protecting creative works – the Copyright Act of 1790. Free State Foundation President Randolph May and I discussed this and more in our 2016 Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper, "George Washington: Indispensable to Intellectual Property Rights in America."

Expect to hear more on copyright-related topics in 2020, as this month marks the publication of our new book with Carolina Academic Press, titled "Modernizing Copyright Law for the Digital Age: Constitutional Foundations for Reform." Hot off the press, our book is now available for order at CAP's website.