Stern Stories

The Battle for the Internet: What the Future Holds for Copyright Law

On May 2, Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit and Billy Chasen of Turntable.fm discussed the future of intellectual property online.
Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit and Billy Chasen of Turntable.fm participated in a panel discussion at NYU Stern to discuss some of the complex issues surrounding recent legislative proposals in the area of online intellectual property.

battle for the internet: adam brandenburger

Professor Adam Brandenburger, vice dean for graduate education, kicked off the discussion.

battle for the internet: fred wilson

“We need to be thoughtful on how to protect content creators and considerate of consumers who consume that content,” stressed Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Square Ventures, a venture capital firm with a track record of success, including investments in Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare and Zynga.

battle for the internet: ohanian

Entrepreneur and angel investor Alexis Ohanian of reddit, a social news website where registered users submit content and other users rank the post, argued that fellow entrepreneurs need to spend their time starting companies, not lobbying Washington.

battle for the internet: chasen

Bill Chasen, founder of Turntable.fm, a social media website that allows users to interactively share music, voiced concerns about current legislation in the music industry and its impact on start-ups.

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Hosted by Stern’s Entertainment, Media and Technology Association; the Entrepreneurs Exchange; and the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the event was moderated by MBA students James Belfer and Matthew Harrison.