Copyright and creativity are perhaps some of the most perplexing issues the EWM major explores. These things are surrounded with complexities and paradoxes, and in all honesty, it can be a bit overwhelming to address them. Good Copy Bad Copy deals with them spectacularly, looking at the dilemmas that arise from copyright ("Who really owns what? What is the purpose of copyright?" 8:10) from multiple angles. The documentary presents viewers with enough information for them to come to a better understanding of the issues at hand.
One of the most interesting arguments against current copyright laws was the claim that Lawrence Lessig made at 22:52. He said that the issue with copyright is that "it has become so expansive and powerful that it inhibits creativity." He supports this notion later in the documentary (54:28) with the fact that "57% of teenagers have created and shared content on the internet," and that remixing is a "natural way to understand the world and create." Taking material and building on it or altering it is a prevalent form of creativity in our generation, and it should be encouraged, not stifled.
Unfortunately, this isn't the case with our current copyright laws. At 12:13, Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk) discusses the barriers he faces that ultimately prohibit him from creating his art legally. "To license a sample would cost millions of dollars which I can't afford... If I had a million dollars to do it, it would still take 50 years to go through the legal hassle, and that's just absurd." Music companies create these enormous hurdles that most artists who sample and remix cannot possibly hope to pass. Sampling isn't just being restricted, it's being made impossible. To relate this back to Lessig, we are virtually outlawing this form of art, and calling artists "criminals and pirates" and blocking them, instead of acknowledging the creativity they bring to their work.
This raises a very important question: What is copyright really for? Some claim that it serves as encouragement for artists to create, that no one would put their material out without compensation. But at 32:25 Ronaldo Lemos proposes that copyright laws serve to "protect certain very specific interests" rather than encourage artists. They "prevent society from becoming the producer of culture in itself and for itself." This, along with the previous quotes I have mentioned, really opened my eyes to the paradoxical logic behind copyright laws. People argue that they are in place to protect and encourage creativity, and yet we have all of these instances of creativity being actively fought against. I think that the root of this problem may lie in disagreements of what constitutes creativity, and whether the term should be synonymous with originality.
I think that Good Copy Bad Copy does a nice job of showing the pros and cons of copyright, it demonstrates the stifling effects but it also offers suggestions about ways to update the laws to fit modern technological dynamics. I think that the film called for reform over rejection or revolt, in the end it would be nice if copyright could be reasonable. Despite the fact that Good Copy Bad copy featured arguments from both sides there seemed to be a slight bias toward those that are pushing against the current state of copyright law. The people that believed in copyright's necessity as it stands right now were business people in suits and offices. While those proposing reform appeared to be more accessible and easier to relate to. It gave me a slight feeling of us, everyday people, versus them, executives.
ReplyDelete