Week 1: Blog Post #1 - "Readings" on Copyright Issues

Week 1: Blog Post #1 - "Readings" on Copyright Issues 
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.

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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

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