Darknets, the MPAA and digital media

Monday's "The future of darknets" panel at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (here's the Digital Convergence track sessions) in Austin, Texas, was a highlight for many people, gauging by the reaction I've received. One woman came up to me at my book signing immediately afterward and said, "That was the most emotional, passionate panel I've ever seen!"

Credit goes to the audience, which was incredibly engaged and energetic. It turned out to be a sort of digital media revival meeting.

I led things off by showing this four-minute video about darknets, mash-ups and digital culture: All about darknets (11mb, MPEG-4).

We then discussed darknets only peripherally, with the subject turning to piracy and Hollywood's outdated business models. Speakers like Kevin Smokler and Michael Verdi stood up and challenged MPAA spokeswoman Kori Bernards to explain why the movie studios are moving at a glacial pace. Others discussed Hollywood's miserly view of fair use.

I was moderating and couldn't take notes, but Medialoper and Derek Powazek blogged it and Chuck Olsen grabbed some good video. More from Sahu and analoghole.

Here's the hour-long podcast mp3 of the session.

Technorati tags: podcast, videoblogging, personal media, SXSW, SXSW2006, geeks, piracy, copyright, darknets, MPAA