Alex Curtis

I run a project called Creators' Freedom with the mission to empower creators to take control of their small business by leveraging their creative spark and today's technology. Since 2010, the project has worked directly with creators though entrepreneurial workshops and one-on-one case studies.

I come to the creative industry from an innovation-policy perspective. Over my nearly 20 year career, including more than a decade in Washington, DC, working for two U.S. Senators, one Administration, and a public advocacy organization that I helped grow into a thought leader, I focused on copyright and the technical and social impacts of technology mandates.

In the ongoing competition-in-telecommunications debates,I worked to introduce pro-net neutrality legislation and defend against discriminatory broadband practices. Campaigns I've produced included widely distributed issue viral videos that break-down complicated policy concepts and other content that became "Internet memes" recognized by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Moyers on America, and multiple episodes of The Daily Show. A pivotal Commerce Committee hearing was dubbed the "iPhone hearing" because Ranking Member Ed Markey held up my own personal iPhone up as a prop to emphasize innovation needed in telecommunications.

I LIKE TO INFLUENCE INNOVATION POLICY

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Developed and advocated for pro-consumer / creator / innovator policies on a number of specific issues grouped in two major areas: Intellectual Property and Telecommunications

Intellectual Property: Copyright: introduced and worked to promote legislation to challenge the extension of copyright terms; repeatedly defeated government tech mandates like anti-P2P technology policy, broadcast video and radio flag, analog hole protections schemes; promoted market competition through setting a hard deadline for the FCC digital TV transition and enforcing the CableCARD requirements of cable video providers; advocated for legal use of digitally- protected content via reform to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; worked with independent film makers to successfully introduce legislative solutions for the orphan works issue—that allows legal use of copyrighted works when owners cannot be asked for permission; and advocated for the creation of visual registries for copyrighted works so that works and their owners can be matched.

Organized and managed coalitions of public interest and private industry around the specific issues to influence policy makers.

Produced white papers, hearing testimony, analyses, one-pagers to persuade legislators; educated and enabled consumers to engage in policy debates via blog posts, podcasts, online videos, action alerts, and discussion panels.

Served both on staff and as clerk in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Anti-Trust Subcommittee; researched, met with stakeholders, and advised policy makers on issues of open access (allows ISPs access to broadband lines owned by cable companies), online digital music distribution, hate crimes legislation, online privacy, and cyber-crimes.

Created and seasonally updated websites and integrated MS Access database with a Cold Fusion Intranet component.

May 2014

Participant on three roundtable discussions discussing innovation policy regarding (1) the legal framework for the creation of remixes; (2) the relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital environment; and (3) the appropriate calibration of statutory damages in the contexts of (i) individual file sharers and (ii) secondary liability for large-scale infringement .

January 2012

A discussion of the SOPA legislation, where I had the privilege  to debate successful songwriter and former President of Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Steve Bogard, on maintaining an open Internet  for creators and innovators.

"How does innovation, an open internet and the creative economy move into the future together?