In 1993, Seattle grunge band Nirvana was catapulted into a censorship debate about whether it should change the cover art and a song title for hit disc “In Utero” simply so retail giants like Wal-Mart could sell the CD in stores.
Now, 10 years later, former Nirvana guitarist Krist Novoselic will headline a conference discussing censorship, copyright law and the future of digital music this weekend at the University.
The conference, hosted by the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum, will take place today at the law school and Saturday at the music school, with a benefit concert today at 8 p.m. at WOW Hall.
SELF President Krystal Noga said she has always dreamed of hosting a conference featuring Novoselic.
“I wanted to get a hold of Krist — I wanted to do this and build this whole conference around him,” she said, adding that Nirvana’s censorship issue was what compelled her to get a master’s degree on First Amendment issues.
Noga, who’s now a law student, added that arranging the effort has taken its toll on her. “I haven’t been to class in two weeks, if that tells you anything,” she said.
The conference features a range of speakers and performers, from Seattle-based female rock band tart and copyright-law activist Mark Hosler of Negativland to law professors, local judges and digital music experts from across the Northwest.
Members of tart said they wanted to take place in the weekend event because they believe in the future of
digital technology.
“This is a whole new realm for a lot of people,” guitarist Julia Landa said, adding that tart actively encourages its fans to make mp3s of its music and even offers many of its songs on its Web site. “If a person likes the music, they’re going to buy the CD. Ultimately, people will still buy CDs, and people shouldn’t feel threatened by mp3s.”
The conference is more than just a chance to showcase Northwest artists, however. University Professor Keith Aoki said the event would be a chance for law students and others to discuss the legal issues surrounding digital music.
Aoki said January’s 7-2 Supreme Court decision backing the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act of 1998 was an important example of how the legal system can often favor corporate rights at the expense of the consumer. Aoki, who worked with a team of legal experts and submitted an amicus brief arguing against the Court’s ruling, said he was disappointed with the results of the act, which extends personal copyright from 50 to 75 years and corporate copyright from 75 to 95 years. Now, he said, great works from the 1920s won’t be accessible to the public for another two decades.
The professor added, however, that the advent of digital music systems like mp3s have kept consumers one step ahead of recording companies, even with the bankruptcy of file-sharing innovator Napster.
“It’s basically made music transfer incredibly easy,” he said. “The Napster case did shut down Napster, but the technology keeps on jumping ahead.”
The conference, which is free to the public, is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the law school and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Beall Hall. Proceeds from tonight’s concert go to support future events hosted by SELF, and tickets can be purchased for $10 at the EMU Ticket Office or $12 at the door.

Read Part 1 of this story:
Students catch downloading bug