The sixth event in the groundbreaking Future Human series takes place on August 11, 2010 at The Book Club in Shoreditch. Called The Piracy Panacea, the salon will explore how digital filesharing technology and the anti-copyright movement is kickstarting innovation in the creative industries, and features a very special guest in Graham Linehan, creator of Father Ted and The IT Crowd. Tickets are available HERE.

 

From the Blackbeards of the 18th century to the BitTorrent Babies of the 21st, pirates have never had the best rep. But historically they have been tremendous innovators and exploiters of untapped markets. Whether it’s the ‘pirate code’ of the Caribbean seas, which pioneered democratic governance long before it was popular in Western society, or Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning popularising mp3 downloads long before the launch of iTunes in the twentieth century, pirates have always been ahead of the game.

Perhaps the hackers and marauders terrorising the creative industries actually hold the key to their renaissance? On August 11, The Piracy Panacea will take a long second look at modern piracy, and give insight into the tremendous innovation and cultural change it is unleashing. From the utopian anarchism of idealists and technologists to post-piracy economies such as China and Brazil, Future Human will give insight into how new, illicit technologies will shape the long-term future of British society and commerce.

Helping us to probe these issues will be a panel of special guests all embedded in the realities of piracy in the UK’s digital and creative economies.

– Graham Linehan is the creator, writer and director of comedy series Father Ted and The IT Crowd, and has also had a hand in other shows from Black Books to The Fast Show and I’m Alan Partridge. He is also an outspoken critic of current models of ownership and piracy legislation.

– Wendy Grossman is one of the UK’s most experienced tech writers, with 20 years contributing to the likes of Wired, The Telegraph, The Guardian and Scientific American. She is also on the advisory board of the Open Rights Group, a campaign network for digital rights, who are currently campaigning against (amongst other things) the anti-piracy legislation in the Digital Economy Bill.

– Jamie King is the director of Steal This Film, which looks at global filesharing culture and copyright enforcement, particularly the notorious Swedish torrent site The Pirate Bay. The film and its sequel were deliberately distributed across filesharing networks, and funded via online donations.

– Thierry Rayna PhD is a senior lecturer in Industrial and Business Economics at London Metropolitan Business School. His research focuses on ‘the economic consequences of the nature and characteristics of digital goods and services’; looking at piracy, distribution, and innovation in the digital economy.

And unlike conventional lectures and talk events, you the audience will be able to contribute throughout the evening, via wireless microphones and our infamous big-screen Twitter feed.

So join us at the Book Club on August 11 for a night of ideas, discussion and booze, as we investigate The Piracy Panacea.

Here’s some nice things that people have been saying about Future Human thus far:

‘A blend of intimacy, anarchy and intellectual nourishment… the salon has arrived in the 21st century’ – The Sunday Times

‘Hurrah! We get to pretend to be sophisticated members of the intelligentsia’ – Grazia

One of London’s Five Best Talk Events – The Evening Standard

‘The new salon for hip intellectuals… book early, tickets sell like (calorie free) hot cakes’ – Time Out

‘Clever thoughts, pretty people, and strong booze: could anything be better?’ – Spoonfed

‘Be there or we’ll say nasty things about you behind your back’ – Kultureflash

‘Having attended more than our share’s worth of debates, this magnificent series is the only one for which we’d join a Twitter support campaign’ – Londonist

We’ll hopefully see you there!

Details:

FUTURE HUMAN: THE PIRACY PANACEA

Wednesday August 11, 2010

Main event is 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm, DJs until late

@ The Book Club, Leonard Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 4RH (map)

Tickets are strictly limited and advance purchase is advised. They can be bought HERE.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONCE PURCHASED, TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR UNDER YOUR NAME (I.E. THEY WILL NOT BE POSTED AHEAD OF THE EVENT)

Contact info(at)www.futurehuman.co.uk if you have an enquiry.

Poster by Oscar and Ewan.