This week's reading from Lawrence Lessig's Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy has several connections to the video we recently watched in class, RIP: A Remix Manifesto. But I'll describe three..
In the section titled Strong Incentives Will Increasingly Drive Commercial Entities to Hybrids, Lessig discusses the importance of innovation and how it is an incentive that "will increasing drive commercial entities to hybrids" (228). He talks about Richard Trevithick's development of a new type of high-pressure engine in 1812 and how "instead of patenting his invention, he made his design available to all for use without charge," encouraging others to build upon it (Lessig 229). In the video, Girl Talk's Greg Gillis says its "beneficial to share ideas" and that it is this sharing of ideas that leads to innovation. Both Gillis and Lessig agree that sharing ideas leads to innovation and that sharing and building upon are essential in any hybrid entity.
Throughout the video, corporations are discussed and said to be taking over our culture (RIP). Lessig would agree and in the section titled "Sharecropping" Is Not Likely to Become a Term of Praise, he discusses how large corporations are in fact taking over our culture. In this section Lessig describes the ongoing battle between Star Wars fans and Lucasfilm, the production company that owns the Star Wars franchise. According to Lessig, "Lucasfilm offered free Web space to anyone wanting to set up a fan home page," but if fans were to "create any derivative works based on or derived from the Star Wars Properties, such derivative works shall be deemed and shall remain property of Lucasfilm Ltd. in perpetuity" (245). That last quote was actually taken from the Lucasfilm contract, so in fact, corporations are taking over our culture. In this instance, they are most definitely encouraging a more RO culture than RW.
In the video, Creative Commons is discussed throughout. Lessig also talks a great deal about Creative Commons and how it is used to signal which kind of economy a creator is creating for (226). In this section Tools Help Signal Which Economy a Creator Creates For, Lessig highlights both the RIAA (for artists who want their art distributed according to the rules of a commercial market only) and Creative Commons (for artists who want to share their work more freely) and says that they both serve as indicators of what type of economy the artist is creating for. (226) In the video, Girl Talk and other artists are big supporters of Creative Commons and are obviously more interested in a sharing or hybrid economy, rather than a purely commercial one.
I think the amount both mediums discussed Creative Commons was interesting as well. It not only allows for individuals to copyright, but it also gives them the right to say what their work can be used for. It's no wonder Girl Talk is all for Creative Commons, because if CC becomes a way of life for copyright law, then artists like Girl Talk can freely distribute their work, so long as they abide by the CC law and contribute work so long as that work stays within the sharing economy rather not to the commercial economy.
ReplyDeleteIt is the sharing of ideas that leads to innovation. The past really does control our future and we need to move beyond that. We can do so much more if we work together. Groups are much more efficient then one person.
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