Wk 1 Response 1

Brian Thomas original post:

I didn’t realize that improvisational acts that the actor wanted to make permanent were not copyrightable unless they had a script or had it on video. I suppose I’ll have to start recording my amazing one-man improvisational plays before I get bamboozled.

The belief “If I don’t charge for it, it’s not a violation.” was a good reminder of something that is NOT true with regards to copyright. I didn’t fully understand the legalities of that before these videos. The best reminder for me was the statement: “Copyright is not about usage, it’s about permission.”

The story about Pirate Bay was enlightening. The Swedish interviewee had some interesting points but I think it’s all based on perspective. Had he created something that provided him his major source of income, I wonder how he would feel about others using it and it’s affect on that income. That being said, international piracy seems like an impossible problem because of the lack of international laws against this.

On to the Fair Use discussion:

The part that surprised me the most about fair use was that there was no definable amount that could be reproduced when using copyrighted content. While there is no black or white area here, I do like that some documents about fair usage in documentary films and online video were created to at least give a general guideline. The shocker for me was when I learned that if you can teach the content or subject without the copyrighted material being used, then you don’t really have Fair Use rights to use it, no matter how little you take.

It sounds to me like those that want to be able to use copyrighted content for free have some very impressive arguments. However, ultimately the music belongs to the big music producing companies and as long as there is ANY threat to their bottom line I anticipate they will fight against the free use of their music. I believe a change to copyrighting IS possible but think that it would have to be made by independent artists that become popular through social media sites rather than the big labels. Then they would have to vocally support the free use of their content. All the while ignoring the promises of riches from the big music companies. Possible, yes. Likely…?

Brian,

You brought up some great points in your response about copyright.  I was very interested in the Swedish interviewee as well.  The video showed the benefits of no copyright law however it did not show the perspective of the original artists.  One thing to keep in mind is that the record industries cannot determine how much revenue has been lost due to file sharing and other forms of piracy.  Does Sweden know something that the U.S. does not know? 

Fair use has always been a gray area and this is where copyright gets confusing to understand.  We need to come up with a better way for the general public to understand what is and is not illegal.  Creative Commons has made a real solid effort to help change copyright as we know it.  It will be interesting to see what role Creative Commons will play in the future.  One thing is for sure something has to change.  Nice work Brian!