Monday, August 19, 2013

The Mega Copyright Debate, featuring Kim Dotcom




Kim Dotcom will feature in a fundraising debate for the Michael King Writers' Centre in September, along with leading authors, writers and comedians.

The debate will bring together the internet entrepreneur - or pirate, depending on your perspective – along with Listener columnist and blogger Toby Manhire, author Charlotte Grimshaw and Dunedin crime writer Vanda Symon, who is on the board of Copyright Licensing NZ, along with award-winning comedian Jeremy Elwood and writer, commentator and internet adventurer David Slack. The chairman will be television and radio presenter Wallace Chapman.

The debate will be held at Q’s Rangatira Theatre on Queen Street, at 7.30 pm on Wednesday September 4.

Tickets will be available at Q Theatre and cost $35 (service fees apply).

The moot will be that “Internet killed the copyright star”. It will look at what's happening with copyright in the age of the internet.

Michael King Writers’ Centre manager Karren Beanland said copyright and the impact of digital technology is a vital issue for writers, creative people and the publishing industry world-wide.

”How do writers and creative people keep the rights to their work in the digital age? Or get paid? What happens to the publishing industry? Will the internet be the end of copyright?

“This will be an entertaining debate on a serious topic: copyright and intellectual property may be the biggest economic issue in the 21st century, being played out at all levels of society from social media to the highest levels of government.

“We have a great group of speakers who will thrash the issues out from all sides.”
The debate is a fundraiser for the Michael King Writers’ Centre, which has a programme of supported residencies for New Zealand writers and has fostered talents of writers from Poet Laureate Vincent O’Sullivan to booker prize longlister Eleanor Catton.

The Michael King Writers’ Centre, based in a heritage villa in Devonport, is New Zealand’s first national writers’ centre. It offers a programme of supported writers’ residencies each year, a workshop programme for young writers and an annual residential workshop, as well as hosting visiting writers.

The current writer in residence is novelist and graphic artist Sarah Laing.


For further information, please call Karren Beanland, Manager:


Ph/fax:            09 445 8451
Mobile:            021 496 488

Email:  manager @writerscentre.org.nz
www.writerscentre.org.nz

No comments: