DesktopLinux.com Contributing Editor Malcolm Dean reports from O'Reilly's annual Open Source Convention in balmy San Diego, where the political winds are shifting in the global war against copyright tyranny. How Steamboat Bill became Steamboat Willy, and Shakespeare was freed. Dean writes . . .

“Known for its balmy weather, this home to a major portion of the U.S. Navy enjoys steady breezes. But the winds at O'Reilly's annual Open Source Convention are blowing from a decidedly political direction. Gone is the Rodney King ('Can't we all get along?') flavor of last year's mind-meld with Microsoft, replaced by rising alarm at the broad damage current U.S. legislation and Supreme Court cases may do to the creative engine which gave rise to the Internet Age.”

“In his second-to-last speech to the Open Source and Free Software communities, Prof. Lawrence Lessig warned that “never before has there existed such control of culture by so few. We've done nothing to stop them from making this a less and less free society.” Lessig plans to devote himself to a forthcoming Supreme Court appearance, and to his new endeavor, the Creative Commons . . .”

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