Op-Ed: Bad copyright rules killed Hadfield's Space Oddity

The Ottawa Citizen writes Op-Ed: Bad copyright rules killed Hadfield's Space Oddity .

"As you’re probably aware, Chris Hadfield, back when he was the commander of the International Space Station, recorded an iconic version of Bowie’s 1969 song Space Oddity. The inspiring video was viewed over 22.4 million times on YouTube, inspiring millions and cementing a deserved place in Canadian history. What most people had been unaware of until the previous day, however, was that the world was only allowed to see the video because Bowie had granted Hadfield a one-year license to show it. On May 14, the license expired and Hadfield removed it from public view."

"The common-sense problems, though, are obvious. How does David Bowie’s ability – his right, under copyright law – to disappear Chris Hadfield’s stunning interpretation of Bowie’s 45-year-old song help anybody? Is the world a better place now that this piece of art has officially been scrubbed from existence?"

"At some point, creators and copyright owners have to let go. Once we create something, that’s it – it’s up to others to listen to it, be inspired by it, and use it to create new art, or to take the punk rock ideals you first heard expressed in a Descendents song and go change the world."