Valencia,
I agree with your thoughts on history and the illustration
of ridiculousness that you have outlined.
Not only ancient history, but even modern history is affected. How many references, direct or indirect, do
we make on a daily basis about what has come before us. “A rose, by any other name”, “May the Force
be with you”, “Where’s the beef?”… Even, “Happy Birthday”. Remixing is nothing new. The invention of the wheel has led to the
car. The writings of old, have led to
countless blockbuster films. Disney is
well known for taking public domain, remixing it with “Disney magic” and
re-releasing it to new generations.
However, they copyright the final outcome.
It is in our nature to take what is in our surroundings,
remix it with our own perspective and use it as ours. Yes, generations will be affected. I am hoping that they will be pioneers in a
new era, where these battles of cultural intellect are obsolete.
Original Post: MAC
Week 1 Reading
I really enjoyed this week’s reading assignment, because I
love the intricate business side of the entertainment industry. I found it so
interesting that laws that were meant to protect an artist from others making
money from their work, has a flip side that constricts artists from creatively
producing work. May favorite videos
dealt with the ways other countries view copyright. Brazilian and Nigerian
artists are not engrossed in the moneymaking elements of entertainment, as much
as they are interested in purely entertaining. What was illustrated was that
the corporate world in America, which is the driving force behind the copyright
laws, are consumed by this “bottom line” kind of thinking, and milking every
possible penny out of consumers. This kind of greed-based mentality shows up
throughout America’s financial institutions, and results in the rot that drives
piracy and theft. The best example of
this was the Bridgeport V Dimension Film/Music case against Hip Hop recording artists
De La Soul. While Jane Peterer was right that the sample had been used, the
sample was not used in the same way as the original artist created it. In my opinion, this made the song “Me, Myself
and I” a new creation. The same is true for NWA’s “One Hundred Miles and
Running.” Moreover, the original artist Parliament and Funkadelic, was not even
quoted in the story.
When considering these laws, in the realm of education, it
becomes even more ridiculous. Every generation is taught the world around them.
Imagine if ancient pyramid inscriptions, drawings, and statues were
copyrighted. How many centuries of learners would have been deprived of
learning and interpreting the meanings of the artwork? I believe that this
example illustrates how ridiculous these laws are. If copyright laws had existed in the past for
100 years + 70, how many generations before us would have been neglected? I
look forward to more study on these issues.
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