Wednesday, October 31, 2007

More on Lessig and Project Complete!

I agree with Lessig that the “free culture” that we used to live in is now a “permission culture,” which has placed a burden on society. We live in a society with overly strict copyright laws that hinder creativity and experimentation. Lessig focuses on the theme of common sense in his book and how the new regulations consist of extreme penalties for vague infractions. On page 185 of the book, Lessig states how absurd it is that we live in a world where a doctor that negligently removes the wrong leg of a patient will be looking at a smaller fine than an individual illegally downloading two songs off of the internet. Another important point that Lessig makes is that not only is it expensive to obtain permission to use someone’s property, it also can be very difficult to track down copyright because it is hard to determine who has ownership to certain works.

I completed the sampling project, which was an enjoyable experience. It was somewhat difficult at first because I knew my stance right away when we got the assignment, but had to spend time thinking on how to visually present my argument. Once I got a few ideas, more came to me as I searched for pictures on the internet. It was fun to come up with ways to take pictures of my friends to represent the argument I was making. I also liked working with software that I had not used before. Towards the end of my second visual representation of copyright laws, I was feeling very comfortable using the software.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree that the laws restrict creativity. I think if someone bases their creation off of someone else's, they should give credit, but if they don't, well, they shouldn't be punished. If the original creator wants to seek them out, then it should be an issue between those two.

Anonymous said...

I think what Lauren said here is a good point. If it really concerns the original creator of a work that his or her work is being used, then I think it is up to them to make sure the laws are enforced. I'm sure there are many people out there who are not too concerned with whether or not their work is being drawn upon. Some are probably glad to be able to inspire others and help foster creativity.

madtown chica said...

I agree with Lessig as well. I also had alot of fun with the sampling project, although technology can be frustrating! Thanks for replying to my Halloween question, I imagined there being more responses...