Bummer -- [Nostalgic 60s idealism mode on] The effort to get the Sonny Bono Act declared unconstitutional knocked down by the Supremes, 7-2. Larry Lessig writes...

"It has often been said that movements gain by losing in the Supreme Court. Some feminists say it would have been better to lose Roe, because that would have built a movement in response. I have often wondered whether it would ever be possible to lose a case and yet smell victory in the defeat. I’m not yet convinced it’s possible. But if there is any good that might come from my loss, let it be the anger and passion that now gets to swell against the unchecked power that the Supreme Court has said Congress has. When the Free Software Foundation, Intel, Phillis Schlafly, Milton Friedman, Ronald Coase, Kenneth Arrow, Brewster Kahle, and hundreds of creators and innovators all stand on one side saying, “this makes no sense,” then it makes no sense." Let that be enough to move people to do something about it. Our courts will not."

Sometimes I have to wonder how much the ownership of ideas or of "know-how" just sets up new constraints to future creativity. Information wants to be free. It's not the control of information but rather it's dissemination and what you do with it that creates value. [Nostalgic 60s idealism mode off]