Google's copyright chief warns of a "counter-reformation" by content owners who seek to crack down worldwide on liberal fair use rights.

"The purpose of the movement," he says in a recent blog post, "is to chill the willingness of countries to enact fair use or liberal fair dealing provisions designed to genuinely further innovation and creativity."

According to Patry, today "it is not enough to have vast rights: corporate content owners see a need to eliminate any limitations on those rights too."

Fortunately for consumers, copyright "protestants" are fighting back.

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