Today, we’re dug in — as we are on many days — to the Digital Media problem.  We’ve got about 100 guests, largely from the technology and media industries, and two partners (Gartner|G2 and IBM) in hosting a conference on this topic.  There’s a very live feel to the topic, no doubt a result of the sense that we’ve found ourselves in crisis and exacerbated by the recent spate of lawsuits against file-sharers.  The basic framework for the day is to consider five possible future scenarios for how this issue might be governed over the next five years: 1) no change; 2) taking property rights seriously; 3) technology defenses work; 4) public utility; 5) alternative compensation systems.  The discussion takes as jumping-off points Terry Fisher‘s research and the themes of his upcoming book, Promises to Keep, and the joint research the Berkman Center’s been doing with Gartner|G2’s Mike McGuire and others.  

Update: Theo Emery of the Associated Press tells the story of the conference, which also ran in the Washington Post.  Martin LaMonica covered the conference as well for New York Times Online/CNET.  Rick Whiting of Information Week wrote a nice summary.