New York Times op-ed piece by Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Stanford:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/opinion/20lessig.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=sloginFrom the sounds of this, I wasn't far off in my understanding of the problem :p ... as Lessig puts it:
"The solution before Congress, however, is both unfair and unwise. The bill would excuse copyright infringers from significant damages if they can prove that they made a “diligent effort” to find the copyright owner. A “diligent effort” is defined as one that is “reasonable and appropriate,” as determined by a set of “best practices” maintained by the government.
But precisely what must be done by either the “infringer” or the copyright owner seeking to avoid infringement is not specified upfront. The bill instead would have us rely on a class of copyright experts who would advise or be employed by libraries. These experts would encourage copyright infringement by assuring that the costs of infringement are not too great. The bill makes no distinction between old and new works, or between foreign and domestic works. All work, whether old or new, whether created in America or Ukraine, is governed by the same slippery standard."
