By displaying Greg Gillis (Girl Talk) at the forefront of this film, I was allotted a context that went beyond the means of the film Good Copy Bad Copy. In less than five minutes into this video, I knew it was going to be about copyright in the music industry and how it is suffering, or moreover being challenged, in the evolving Digital Age.
It's always interesting to get the other, legal, perspective on copyright law and the infringement of these laws by society. In the film there is a clear divide in generations and it is the generation that I am a part of that chooses to defy these laws and make new meaning for creativity. The term "de minimis" (6:27) gives us a root to what determines something as being faulty of copyright or not; because in some cases the law is not concerned with these insignificant offenses that show up in our pop culture. However, it is illegal to take anything from a recording and not only illegal but shows a lack of creativity. This, I believe, gave birth to licensing and further helps us understand how this industry has evolved over the course of sum years- though it has always changed in the past, the Digital Age is causing these ideas about what is considered legal vs. illegal, public vs. private and an original vs. a remix.
In section 22:00, we are shown an interview with Lawrence Lessig of Creative Commons. Digital technology has allowed (basically) anyone the means to creatively say something about our culture and share this information and individual/communal ideas on a very public platform through sounds and images. The problem with copyright, is not the meaning behind it because it makes sense for an artist to be rewarded and rightfully own his/her work. The problem lies where copyright laws have become so expansive and powerful to the extent that is has caused creativity to suffer because of it. These copyright laws appear to drive the music industry, but there wouldn't even be an industry without creativity. Is it possible to even find a balance? One will always find precedence over the other. In a world where everything is constantly being shared and downloaded freely, there is a clashing of elements. With regards to text(uality) and how this plays into the context of copyright, it is known that once someone creates a text and puts that work out into society those laws protect your work. However, this does not mean to say that your text is free from people using and reusing this text as much as they want (23:48).
There is a rethinking that is happening because copyright laws are constantly challenged in this era of the Digital Age. If the laws aren't going anywhere, fundamentally, then they must adjust and shift to reflect these new technologies. In order to make sense of these laws for an artist, producer and consumer, it is imperative that they parallel the technologies that have shaped what the industry has become today and where it will lead to in the future.
Allie-
ReplyDeleteI agree that within a few minutes the intentions of the documentary were obvious about copyrighting and the implications.
I also addressed a similar part in the documentary about “de minimis,” but have chose to challenge these thoughts. I like how you mentioned that there has been a generational gap of which viewers can see based on the interaction with GirlTalk and others who are older. The issue of copyrighting has appeared to become a concern only within the last couple of years or so, as older generations seen in the documentary have difficulty understanding the movement.
I think its important to address how copyrighting has affected our ability to recreate. You raise good questions that are still unclear for the producers of the music and those attempting to remix it. Will there ever be a set guideline for copyrighting or will we have to deal with each issue individually? I think the line that you quote (23:48) may have been the beginning of the answer of your own question about balance. We may not be able to control the text that we set forth, giving others the ability to recreate and remediate. There may be no balance because this information is public and there isn’t a way to necessarily prohibit others from not using your material in some way or another.
Overall, keep up the great work! I think it would have been interesting if you expanding on this idea of balance and presented your own version of how it may be able to be achieved. You do reference great parts in the documentary, but are we ever sure how you feel about copyrighting? Do you believe it’s a dilemma or a paradox?
Best,
Erin Schwartz