In Finland the duration of copyright is 70 years after the death of the creator. However, for some special kinds of works the copyright applies for only 50 years or less (performances, recordings, photographs, movies, radio broadcasts etc.) The copyright always belongs to the creator of the work, and not his employer. But the ownership can of course be transferred based on a separate contract. And there is no need to include a copyright note in the work.

An interesting aspect of (Finnish) copyright law is the permission to copy works for personal (private) use, also without buying the original. Thus, borrowing a recording from the library or from a friend and making a copy for personal use is permitted. This also applies to use within the family. However, the right to make copies does not apply to computer programs or databases. Recently there has been some discussion whether all unauthorized digital copying should be prohibited.

I wrote about copyrights and DRM systems in my latest column for the MikroPC magazine, mentioning Creative Commons as an example of a positive development (in contrast to media and software giants acquiring more and more rights to themselves). Perhaps I should write an additional column about the matter.

In 2002 I wrote a review of The Future of Ideas, which was a fine book, and made me change my opinion of (some) lawyers. But Free Culture is a better book, because even though the topic is serious and the situation is alarming, the book manages to be humorous without losing focus. On the other hand, some of the arguments don't really hit the target from the Finnish point of view. This is probably due to the different attitude towards copyrights here in Europe. For example, if a Finnish taxi driver listens to radio while transporting customers, he has to pay compensation to the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society.

On the other hand, an anti-Moore website links to pirated F9/11. This anti-Moore site is Moorewatch: "[Moorewatch] is dedicated to unearthing the truth behind the doublespeak and falsehood that spews from the mouth (and keyboard) of Michael Moore on a regular basis. Moore is a disingenuous danger to this country, and his assumptions and assertions should not go unchallenged."

I haven't seen the film, pirated or otherwise, but isn't promoting a pirated version of Fahrenheit 9/11 a double-edged sword?

But is the movie any good? Here is a fresh opinion... Michael Moore Makes the Same Movie Again: "Something few people seem to have noticed about Michael Moore, whether they love him or hate him, is that he keeps making the exact same movie over and over. And surprisingly, it gets better every time." [kuro5hin.org]