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history and literature culture and society lit history David Foster Wallace remix law copyright media and communiction thought and opinion politics policy
If there ever was tragically visceral evidence of how remix culture fuels creativity and copyright hinders it, it is this: Despite – or perhaps because of – millions of views in less than a week, The David Foster Wallace Literary Trust has filed a copyright claim against the wildly popular YouTube version of the wonderful short film adaptation of Wallace’s timeless 2005 commencement address, This Is Water. (Luckily, you can still watch the film on Vimeo – but that’s beside the point.) Here is an example of a project made out of love, the existence of which harms the estate in no way, financial or otherwise, but serves the public good by way of cultural preservation and celebration of Wallace’s spirit and legacy, extending his message and allowing it to touch more lives. That the estate finds any of this harmful is gobsmacking, at once an aberration of the law and a complete failure of cultural duty.

If there ever was tragically visceral evidence of how remix culture fuels creativity and copyright hinders it, it is this: Despite – or perhaps because of – millions of views in less than a week, The David Foster Wallace Literary Trust has filed a copyright claim against the wildly popular YouTube version of the wonderful short film adaptation of Wallace’s timeless 2005 commencement address, This Is Water. (Luckily, you can still watch the film on Vimeo – but that’s beside the point.)

Here is an example of a project made out of love, the existence of which harms the estate in no way, financial or otherwise, but serves the public good by way of cultural preservation and celebration of Wallace’s spirit and legacy, extending his message and allowing it to touch more lives. That the estate finds any of this harmful is gobsmacking, at once an aberration of the law and a complete failure of cultural duty.

383 notes
5-21-2013
copyright culture and society law thought and opinion media and communication science and technology tech

We really don’t own our stuff anymore (at least not fully); the manufacturers do. Because modifying modern objects requires access to information: code, service manuals, error codes, and diagnostic tools. Modern cars are part horsepower, part high-powered computer. Microwave ovens are a combination of plastic and microcode. Silicon permeates and powers almost everything we own.

This is a property rights issue, and current copyright law gets it backwards, turning regular people — like students, researchers, and small business owners — into criminals.

Current congressional debates about the legality of unlocking cell phones are missing the larger point – Wired’s Kyle Wiens argues we should be allowed to unlock everything we own.

Pair with System Failure. – Kirby Ferguson’s provocative take on what’s wrong with intellectual property law.

297 notes
3-21-2013
infographics technology science and technology tech law remix copyright
The last four years of patent wars in cell phones, visualized – shown by filmmaker Kirby Ferguson of Everything Is A Remix fame at TEDGlobal 2012.

The last four years of patent wars in cell phones, visualized – shown by filmmaker Kirby Ferguson of Everything Is A Remix fame at TEDGlobal 2012.

63 notes
6-29-2012