NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Veteran rap artist Chuck D will be among a panel
of experts from both sides of the Internet downloading debate featured
in an upcoming Vanderbilt University event.
"The Downloading Debate" will be held Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m.
in Vanderbilt’s Langford Auditorium. The event is free and open to the
public and sponsored by Project Dialogue and the Curb Center for Art,
Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt.
Other members of the panel include "cyber-sleuth" and BayTSP chief
executive Mark Ishikawa, Mitch Glazier of the Recording Industry
Association of America, Jason Schultz of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation and Nashville songwriter Lynn Gillespie Chater. The panel
debate continues Project Dialogue’s yearlong exploration of the theme
"Ideas, Images, Internet: Who Owns What."
As leader and co-founder of the rap group Public Enemy, Chuck D’s
music addresses issues of politics and race and has resulted in three
multi-platinum albums, numerous awards and Public Enemy’s place on the
New York Times’ "25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century" list.
An outspoken advocate for music sharing on the Internet, his website
Rapstation.com is dedicated to "empowering rap artists with the
knowledge to turn their craft into a viable living."
Mark Ishikawa serves as CEO of BayTSP, which specializes in
copyright tracking and brand protection and is a primary enforcer of
the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. BayTSP’s technology uses a
combination of robotic Internet searches and old-fashioned detective
work to identify digital downloaders of child pornography, copyrighted
images, music and movies.
As senior vice president for government relations at the Recording
Industry Association of America, Mitch Glazier serves as the chief
advocate for the recorded music industry before policymakers and
government officials. Named one of the nation’s "50 Most Influential
Men Under 37" by Details magazine, Glazier received his law degree from
Vanderbilt.
Jason Schultz is a staff attorney specializing in intellectual
property for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group that
works to educate the general public about civil liberties issues
related to technology, and to oppose policy and legislation that
threaten those rights.
Lynn Gillespie Chater has written songs recorded by artists such as
Lorrie Morgan, Jessica Andrews and Mindy McCready. As a member of the
Legislative Committee of the Nashville Songwriters Association
International, she frequently travels to Washington, D.C. to lobby for
songwriter’s rights.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor
for Public Affairs Michael Schoenfeld. For more information about the
University, visit the Vanderbilt News Service homepage at www.vanderbilt.edu/News.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-NEWS
Kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu