Heidi’s Post
The video “Fair Use Fairy Tale” was an accurate and creative way to relay the copyright information in an extremely relevant set-up. I will admit, I was shocked that a copyright now last a creator’s lifetime plus 70 years. I don’t see how the extra 70 years is relevant, the creator is dead; the family of the creator should not ride the creator’s coattails just to milk out more money. The lat I new, or thought I knew, copyrights last 75 years or the life of the creator. I used to agree with this when I learned about JD Salinger (wrote Catch in the Rye). He virtually vanished from society to escape the having to be hound by media to create a movie to his classic. He felt it would ruin the integrity of the book. However now days, I think media giants and influential “powers that be” have bastardized the original intent of the purpose of copyrights.
I think it is great that independent documentarians have stood up and created the “Best Practices in Fair Use” manual. What I don’t understand is why don’t people take more of a stand. If lawmakers can move the copyright length back to a lifetime plus 70 years, then with enough protest and civil disobedience it could be brought back to a more reasonable amount of time. I was particularly shocked by the video “Eye on the Fair Use of the Prize.” I think it is horrible and should be downright illegal for people to “lock away” our true history. It is truly a conspiracy of those in power to manipulate citizens (particularly young people that don’t have a reference) to make their political agendas reality. I find what was portrayed in that video to represent media using copyright laws to whitewash our history through lies of omission. I want to go beyond just “following the rules and sneaking around with Fair Use” people need to stand up and change these laws back to the people and not for profit makers.
I understand why copyright was put into place, to protect artists and creators, but like everything in America, copyright goes beyond protection…it has become a way for corporations to make ungodly amounts of money and greedily keep art to themselves that they really don’t appreciate anyways and the common man gets screwed. Art is not about money, art is about expression and that should not have a price (or a copyright). Fear of copyright infringement kills creativity. The idea of Creative Commons is a cool idea for getting the focus on art back on creativity, but when the video mentioned how the Internet made it so anyone could participate without asking permission. I must ask, why is that bad? It is everyday people taking back some kind of rights that laws and lawyers and corporations have striped away. These greedy people took copyright laws to the selfish, money-hungry place it has become and the Internet is the average person’s way of expressing their creativity and to fight back.
Response
@Heidi
Great blog Heidi, however there are some facts that the videos and many others seem to be overlooking. The computer and the photocopy machine have almost totally destroyed printed newspaper, books, and music. Over the past several decades print houses and publishing companies have been closing without a tear from anyone. No one needs to buy newspaper or printed music when you can simply get it online for free. Your parents gave you a great example of selling bootleg albums on street, now the bootlegs are on the Internet. I do not think the millions of dollars have been lost to illegal purchases is all that far-fetched. Think of the 60s and 70s when people would buy an entire album for $10-$12 to get one song. Nowadays you can purchase one song for $.99 this is great for the consumer but horrible to the artist, record labels, and the sheet music publishing company. I am not a mathematician but a loss of $10 to nothing or $.99 is at least a 90% decrease in sales and revenue per album is a staggering figure. Keep in mind the factories that made the records and the artist that created the cover art no longer really exist. These figures are for just for one successful music album, multiply these losses by least 100 artists and you'll get losses in the billions. I have to agree a little that a lifetime +70 is a little excessive for ownership of the copyright. However I think everyone would love to leave a little something for their children and grandchildren when they pass away. Every art and music history teacher will tell you the sad truth that many artists works are not valuable till after they are dead. Most of the time the artists die in poverty and are not recognize till years later. Most of the time their families receive very little then the artist work would become public domain and the families would receive nothing. For example; Monnet, van Gogh, Bartok, and even Kurt Cobain. I do not believe Courtney Love should not receive any of Kurt’s money but I do like her as an artist.
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