OfcomWatch friend Chris Marsden alerted us to a special issue of the journal Info, covering the topic �What�s wrong with competition policy in new media?� The articles in this special issue stem from Oxford�s Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) Spring 2005 seminar series, and include contributions from Chris Marsden, Damian Tambini, Herbert Ungerer, Martin Cave, Thomas Gibbons, and Lorna Woods. For details on how to obtain a copy of this special issue, click here.

Also, this Thursday evening in London, Oxford PCMLP, in conjunction with IPPR and the RSA, is hosting a seminar/debate entitled �Should the term of copyright protection be extended or shortened in the UK?� Speakers are Lawrence Lessig, John McVay, and Adam Singer. The title of the seminar is misleading in two respects: (1) I don�t think shortening the term of copyright protection is even remotely being considered by New Labour, so the question is really about extension; and (2) as Lessig has pointed out in the past, it�s not a binary issue of longer v. shorter terms, but copyright also involves equally important issues dealing with (i) what is covered by copyright schemes and (ii) what are the procedures to deal with things like orphaned works and fair use of copyrighted material.

The seminar is over-booked, I think, but for god-sakes try to sneak or bribe your way in. Lessig is a great speaker and the issues are very important.