REFLECTION: LESSIG, REMIX & COPYRIGHT
Lawrence Lessig: Remix – Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy 2008
In “Remix” Lessig calls for a new system for regulating copyright, as he fears the consequenses of criminalizing a whole generation of digital natives that consider filesharing a natural act.
He gives a account of roles of man in terms of participative culture, using read/only and read/write to distinct differnet historical periods. Today’s society is defined by its read/write culture, we act as readers, producers/creators/writers and distributors.
In terms of copyright and a remix culture he looks at different ways of being participants in a read/write culture that allows for remix and open sharing, while looking for a system of compensation that stimulates artists to create.
He differentiates between the work of the amateur and the professional, and argues that the same juridical copyright system can not govern both types of production. I have discussed this distinctions in a previous blog post made for Piksel after having attended a Lessig lecture at Re:Publica09 this April.
The distinction in interesting, but not very concrete. What is a professional work, what is an amateur? It it a qualitative distinction or has it do with reputation? And who are the judges?
Lessig argues for a ways to seperate the use of digitally shared work, by looking at non-commercial and commercially use. Legally a licensing system of differentiating non-commercial/commercial use is in already in place through the CC-licenses.
To be continued – have to run for dinner!
