In reading Lawrence Lessig’s “Remix”, a book about “The Future of Ideas” I was inundated with different ideas, as Lessig’s point of view has many valid points. I was raised in a house where there was a bookshelf in every room. Literally, every room (including the entry) has a bookshelf, often overflowing with books. We only had one computer and it was in the den. Now, in the very same house, there are at least three computers, which out number the two people who live there, and the desktop is in the living room, because it is a part of everyday use (and who doesn’t want to surf the net and watch TV at the same time?). It is too common now a day to see houses with more computers and TVs than people, and zero bookshelves. Bookstores and movie rental stores are closing in droves, while Apple and Amazon are becoming huge conglomerates. If people waited to get their information from print, they would be a day behind the news. The Internet and media have given us access to instant new updates. I jokingly said the other day that I didn’t need to watch the 49ners game; I could get the play-by-play updates on Facebook. As the times change, so should the laws. With more and more information being on the Internet and social media keeping everyone connected, it is easy to see how some people will fight to keep information as free as possible, and others will fight to keep profits for the work they have produced. But, us economist like to say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Lessig is, obviously, a very knowledgeable person about copyright laws as he is both a lawyer and a professor. He makes an extremely valid point, that our youth are using the Internet and technology to learn and create new projects, and we should encourage this as much as possible, and not penalize them for breaking copyright laws. I, personally, do not want to live in a world where “Me and my grandma dancing to Rack City” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFmqMe0pQ5A&sns=fb ) is not allowed to exist. Videos like this are probably in violation of copyright laws, but it is actually it’s own unique creation, and it is funny as hell. While the title of this video would indicate that this young man does not have a grasp of the English language, he is extremely creative and that should be encouraged. As an economist, I have to ask, is the artist being harmed in this video? I doubt it. Tyga has the video on Youtube too (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knWnMKKEt88&feature=related), and I doubt that any person wishing to purchase this song would not do it because of this video. If this boy were to be making money off of this video however, I would have to insist that part of that money would belong to Tyga. I also agree with Lessig that in literature, it is acceptable to reproduce, or quote, a small portion of someone else’s writing, as long as you give them credit, and this should be acceptable with other forms of media as well.
Just to be clear: I am not deviating from my previous blog about copyright laws. I stand firm that copyright laws should protect movies, songs, and software, and the people who worked hard on those pieces of art should get their just dues. I simply believe that if those pieces of art are improved upon, or a small section of it is used, it should not be in violation of copyright laws.
I agree with your stance on copyright law- it should protect works, but still allow for new things to be created from the original pieces, in reasonable amounts. However, the logistics of legislating and enforcing such a broad space such as the internet is already proving to be almost impossible, without very broad legislation which can be easily abused.