Horray for IP!
Copyright laws. This stuff is so complex. We had a great discussion on Monday in class, yet I feel like we barely skimmed the surface of it. Someone posed the question in class about whether or not copyright laws are in effect all over the globe, and I found that very interesting. Does anyone remember the story Bradley told us about that Russian guy who was arrested for copyright violations when he came to the U.S.? I think that is bull-shit. That's like getting arrested in Amsterdam for smoking pot because it's illegal in the U.S. Poor guy probably had no idea he broke any laws, and when he came here, the po-po have the fisticuffs waiting. No wonder the French hate us.
I am also wondering if copyright laws are in effect for speech. I'm sure everyone knows that Kanye West said "George Bush does not care about black people" on a Katrina benefit. People were so upset about it. ( I say fuck it- somebody had to say it) If Mike Meyers were smart he would have said he doesn't care about white people either. Anyways...a few days later there were t-shirts with that saying on it. So in essence, can Kanye sue the people who make the t-shirts because that is his words? Or is speech not covered in copyright laws?
Another question I had was if things that are put on the web automatically coptrighted, then what is the point of creative commons? Its a non-profit organization right? So we can rule out money as the driving force. So what's the point? Maybe I missed it in the reading, so someone please enlighten me.
I am also wondering if copyright laws are in effect for speech. I'm sure everyone knows that Kanye West said "George Bush does not care about black people" on a Katrina benefit. People were so upset about it. ( I say fuck it- somebody had to say it) If Mike Meyers were smart he would have said he doesn't care about white people either. Anyways...a few days later there were t-shirts with that saying on it. So in essence, can Kanye sue the people who make the t-shirts because that is his words? Or is speech not covered in copyright laws?
Another question I had was if things that are put on the web automatically coptrighted, then what is the point of creative commons? Its a non-profit organization right? So we can rule out money as the driving force. So what's the point? Maybe I missed it in the reading, so someone please enlighten me.
posted by Chelsea @ 11:37 AM
6 Comments:
At 2:31 PM,
Trisha said…
That is a great question about Kanye West's "quote" being put on t-shirts?? I would really like to know the answer to that. It seems though, that if it is a copyright infringement to use his quote on a t-shirt, then the whole damn world is in trouble. That means that everything I say is mine and mine alone?? You cannot put a "The pickle ate my pumpkin seeds" on a sticker because I said it.
I think that the point of a creative commons license is to make others aware that you are aware of the various copyright laws and such. It is like saying "Hey, this is mine, but you are free to use it as long as you follow my few simple rules". You are giving permission before anyone asks.
At 2:46 PM,
Chelsea said…
Trisha- You have a good point. I guess the whole point of it is to make people aware of how everything works because it is so complicated.
At 9:01 PM,
Jed said…
Freedom of Expression said that Donald Trump trademarked his phrase "you're fired" and the stupid hand gesture from The Apprentice. I think that you cannot copyright speech, but apparently you can trademark it; you just have to apply for it first I guess.
At 10:27 PM,
That One Girl said…
I think Jed is right about copywriting speech.
As I've said a few times, one of the arguments for Creative Commons is that copyright laws don't let others use work beyond "fair use," but a Creative Commons liscense can give extra rights to consumers (as Trisha mentioned). It is partially because the copyright laws are confusing.
The Creative Commons website also says that they believe that innovation and new ideas come from building off of existing ones, so that is part of the purpose of a Creative Commons liscense (and the whole some rights reserved concept).
At 8:01 AM,
cbd said…
The Russian programmer was Dmitry Sklyarov; he worked for a company called ElcomSoft.
Public utterances make this more complicated: it would be hard to defend what West said under copyright, I think. But West could probably trademark it, as Donald "Crimson Weasel" Trump did for "You're fired."
At 10:10 PM,
That One Girl said…
I was thinking about the Donald Trump thing. When he goes on late night talk t.v. shows (or other shows), the host often talks about his trademark (You're fired) and imitates him. Is this an infringement to his trademark? Could he sue????
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