When push comes to shove the copy write laws are all about the money. Who can get the most money and how. What’s wrong with someone taking your work and creating something else out of it as long as they give you the credit for being the inspiration of their creation? Especially when they can make it better. If we can do this with text why not film and music? Don’t those people get paid enough? Actually I think that many of them get overpaid.
One of the people that spoke in the video said that an artist needs copy write laws as an incentive to create. Yeah, right! When someone is creating they are not thinking about copy write laws. They are creating.
With the Fair Use law it’s good to know that there is a law that can cover your behind if you need it too. Of course it has to meet the criteria of critical comment, teaching, parody, and news reporting. Even under these circumstances one needs to be careful.
I was happy to know that Creative Commons is available for creators. The saying two brains are better than one is what came to mind when I saw this video. Sharing a personal idea or creation with another person can sometimes cause the other person to elaborate on that idea and the final result can be spectacular.
As I’ve been watching more and more videos about this I find that the music industry seems to have a real issue about copy writing. Wish I would have known about Creative Commons during the FSO music class.
It can get to be a tough situation for artists. As a working artist/choreographer, I have conflicting views. On one hand, I could create a choreographic work, then someone else could modify a few steps and call it their own. Why would anyone pay for original choreography if someone else could restage a work for half the price with limited changes and call it their own. On the other hand, as an artist who likes to use the musical works of others, I get caught in a copyright snag because I cannot use someone else's music for my work without paying and getting permission which is hard on all dance companies because we are making so little money to begin with.
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ReplyDeleteMy Response:
I agree with you about the money issue. That is why I thought the Nigerian theory was so powerful. That theory being, that you create and you put it out there for anyone to use or make better. There is no piracy as you can pay the same thing for a new or copied version. Why not just buy the new version. This would eliminate the money issue.
I also agreed with you on your point about:
One of the people that spoke in the video said that an artist needs copy write laws as an incentive to create. Yeah, right! When someone is creating they are not thinking about copy write laws. They are creating.
That is so true. Creativity flows regardless of laws and even boundaries. So why must we create these parameters that are often impossible to live within?
Creative Commons does have some really great music such as unknown artists putting their creations out there for the world to hear. I have found some really beautiful pieces.
Although after reading Melissa's comment it is hard for me to think about how that would feel to have my work slightly altered and then have someone call it their own. That is another reason I like Creative Commons. I think it addresses this issue with the various licensing options while still allowing work to inspire new creations.
You make a great point here, Angela, when you referred to the idea that “two brains are better than one.” The best lessons, units and projects I’ve used in my classroom have been results of dynamic collaboration. Likewise, some of my best work during this year has been a result of working with others on group projects. Copyright laws simply hinder this creativity.
ReplyDeleteBecause this is such a major issue in our society, one would think that a reasonable, realistic solution is on the horizon. Until then, I think it’s going to be very difficult to ensure that no individuals pirate music, images, artwork, video, etc. from the Internet. The thought of trying to control all of it is very overwhelming.
This is great that you are talking about how good things can happen from more than one person creating from a single start. I just attended a session today from a lady who teaches a logo design course at a university in Taipei and she has her graduate students create a logo and then submit it to three different students. After the students receive this logo they tweak it and put their own spin on it and give it back to the original creator where the original creator can take the change/suggestions and comments that the peers made and then they have to create a final logo. At the end they all ended up with better logos and I thought it was interesting because different people can use things in different ways and if we have copyright laws restricting that, then it restricts creativity and ultimately could inhibit the creation of something pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe copyright laws are not built to always protect the large companies, but also to give the individual creator a little protection as well. Imagine if you place your heart and soul into a project just to realize that somebody else is going to take credit for it or better yet sell your idea to make money.
ReplyDeleteAngela, I can completely understand many of your points about copyright, and I too think that saying that it encourages people to be more creative is a poor reason. However, it does hold some weight. Music and film need to be protected. There are always people looking to take someone else’s hard work and make it their own. While I’m not saying that you should be arrested for downloading music from the Internet, I am saying that something has to be in place to protect artists from more serious theft.
ReplyDeleteI like to share whatever I have. Personally if someone took my work and made it better then I am all for it. Eventually it makes me look good. I will also feel good knowing that I inspired someone else to create. Even though I understand why the laws are put into place, I don’t care for all of them. It is nice to know that they are there if needed.
ReplyDeletegreat summary and observations. I find it interesting how culture has changed as we moved from a more participatory culture as far as music and arts to a consumer culture and now we're veering back toward more participation. And the business models or mindset about money and the arts has not adjusted. We live in interesting times.
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