After looking at the videos on Copyright Issues, it was clear to me that I was very unaware of how large of a range the phrase encompasses. When hearing the phrase “Copyright Issues,” I mainly think of written pieces of work, movies, or music. It never really occurred to me that Dance would fall into that category. I mean it does make sense that a piece of choreographed material would fall under that category, but I would never really think that "improv" would also fall under that category. I do, however, fully understand the part where someone needs to have tangible proof (e.g. a video, document, recording, etc.) of the actual creation. Just viewing these videos really opened my eyes as to how much effort is put into trying to claim something as your own. I feel bad for those small few who create a masterpiece, but have no proof to uphold a copyright claim.
I also think that it's crazy if things get so serious that they are brought to court, that there are civil and federal offenses. That definitely ups the stakes a bit, don't you think??? I wonder how many federal cases there are? I knew that these issues were big, but I never imagined that it could be a federal offense.
In the documentary, Good Copy/Bad Copy, I was a bit taken aback by how nonchalant the DJ was when speaking about "sampling" tons of other artists' music and then mixing them together to call his own. I guess you could say that it's a form of art, but at the same time... all he did was piece together parts of other people's work. Is that really art? By the way, I did have a chuckle to myself when the man talking about the song, "Get Off Your Ass and Jam," mentioned the part about the "learned judges" talking about such song titles with profanity like that. Nonetheless, I do think it's interesting that the some people view such use as being "de minimis" (meaning that the law doesn't deal with something so insignificant), but in fact it's not. It's illegal. (Side Note: DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album is AMAZING... I have it!)
NOTE: If you sample, you license.
NOTE: If you sample, you license.
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SOURCES:
Professor Joseph Bustillos, Course Director of EDM 613 (Media Asset Creation) in the EMDT Online Program at Full Sail University
All screenshots taken from his Wk1 Reading: Copyright Issues Part 1: Intro to Copyright Assignment Session
Available at:http://josephbustillos.com/m11/pages/wk1-reading1.html
Professor Joseph Bustillos, Course Director of EDM 613 (Media Asset Creation) in the EMDT Online Program at Full Sail University
All screenshots taken from his Wk1 Reading: Copyright Issues Part 1: Intro to Copyright Assignment Session
Available at:http://josephbustillos.com/m11/pages/wk1-reading1.html
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Nice post, Jessica! The issue of how serious an offense copyright infringement is holds the order of the day. I have works from which I currently receive royalties and appreciate that my publisher watches over my copyrighted music. I am, however, a huge fan of making the process easier and this (I believe) is where “the rub” is for many folks. Just as the iTunes store made buying music easy and legal, so should the process of getting permission to use copyrighted material follow suit.
ReplyDeleteYour reference to DJ Danger Mouse’s Grey Album was a good example of the potential of how “Pay Yearly/Use Yearly” services might help all parties involved. As an artist, I’m all for it! There are services like this in existence that funnel royalties to me now. The people using my work are happy, I’m happy, the publisher is happy... all is well! I hope this model becomes ubiquitous in the near future!
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteThis is nice to read an honest reaction to the copyright issues. While I am glad to see you gain so much from the videos on copyright, it is concerning that teachers might not know more about copyright.
While you teach in the lower grades, perhaps you admitting that you didn't realize how much copyright affects and is present in the media world might lend itself to an answer why my students, in high school, feel so entitled to borrow without acknowledgement. Are teachers in lower grades doing enough to set up students to appreciate and respect copyright?
Now, as I say this, it seems to me that the answer lies more in the fault of teachers in middle and high school. For what 2nd or 3rd grader is ready to understand such complicated issues as copyright? And yet, I still sense that there is work that can be done in the lower grades to facilitate the teaching in later grades. Ownership seems to be a simple, understandable heading that copyright issues could be introduced to lower school students. Do you teach anything about copyright, possession or ownership to your students?
I found it ironic that you don't recognize the artistry in Girl Talk but you found Danger Mouse's album to be amazing. This makes me really question the activity and role of art. Art comes from the ancient Greek work, techne, which is anything artificially made by man. It seems to me, that with a classical definition in mind, Girl Talk's 'art' is just that, art. He is making something that was not before. That he is using bits of previously recorded music seems to have no bearing on whether or not this is art, but certainly it bears on the issues of copyright and perhaps what kind of art he creates.
I wonder if the mashup/re-mix culture is a direct product of the rise of Web 2.0 and the rapid growth of digital media across the internet. Ease of access allows for the impulse of remixing to be easily fulfilled. I would argue that remixing was around and has been a natural mode of creation for man for as long as man has made art. With digital technology, it has been made available for many more people.
Perhaps remixing is to music what doodles are to classic paintings. The latter is a profoundly complex form of expression, rooted in challenging form and function. The former is closer to pure expression, unfettered by the complexities of finer artistic technique.
Either way, I love mash ups and remixes as much as I love classical paintings. But I love them for their own reasons.
Excellent analysis and overview of the week's "reading." It is a huge subject and I'm glad we get to cover it and try to figure out our response to all of it. BTW, I'm not Dr. Bustillos, just Professor Bustillos. :-)
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