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Led Zeppelin Reunion Posted On Web; Who Should We Sue?

The litigious environment surrounding alleged copyright violation has spun completely out of control. The latest from the RIAA is that you're a criminal if you rip your own CDs. Porn producers are suing YouTube knockoffs for illegally posting their copyrighted, X-rated content. And now, clips from Led Zeppelin's London reunion show are popping up on the Web.

I mention the Zep postings (see the two embedded YouTube clips below) because they highlight the inability of any content creator to successfully enforce their copyrights. True, the clips are of poor quality, as are the performances, as best as I can tell. But that was always Zeppelin's problem; they were a terrible live band, as their boring movie, "The Song Remains The Same" showcases for all to see. And I say that as a person who likes their records, and listens to them far more than I care to admit (discs one through five, anyway.)

But enough with the critical musings. My point is that intellectual-property rights are the Internet's elephant in the room. No one has figured out a way to successfully enforce what are essentially a content owner's property rights. This is fascinating, because property rights are pretty much the basis of Western society.

Add on top of that the big paradox that the Web's biggest winners are those who've figured out how to game the intellectual-property system -- by aggregating or "excerpting" content created by others, and making money off of it via ads -- and you've got the upside-down online universe we're all living in today.

As a content creator myself, I support IP rights. Just because the RIAA comes across like the Big Bad Wolf in its ham-fisted efforts to prevent copyright abuse doesn't mean it's not in the right. True, the record industry would be more effective in its fight if it did a better job of picking its battle. Trust me, kids are not dissuaded from using LimeWire because the RIAA won $220,000 from some Minnesota mom.

On the other hand, I have no idea how they're supposed to preserve a dying industry. Heck, my industry is in the midst of its own troubles, what with unpaid writers edging out folks who do this stuff for a living. And that's just for starters.

Despite the lack of clarity on where we're headed, I think we've at least reached the point where we can retire the simplistic argument that's been the mantra for the anti-IP crowd for the last decade. Namely, the Web wants to be free and content creators should all just get over it. No, thank you; I prefer to remain steamed.

Fortunately for Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, they've got enough money that a little illicit posting isn't a problem. Here now are the clips; see if they don't leave you underwhelmed.

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