holbo v douthat

John Holbo takes on Ross Douthat’s review of Digital Barbarism:

Douthat is laboring to give readers the impression that Helprin is in any sense holding the non-monkey higher ground, a proposition subject to grave doubt. What is worse: readers will come away with the vague sense that the Lessigs of the world owe us, for some obscure reason, fresh arguments against extending some (vaguely narrowed?) copyright yet further – 200 years? 300? In perpetuity? The presumption should be in favor of extension? When, in fact, all serious students of this issue pretty much agree that, whatever is to be done, there is no reason why that should be done.