Copyright, Copywrong, and the Copyleft

Being an artist and musician myself, the ongoing battle between the corporate lawyers and the copyleft interests me greatly. I want to write a paper on the changing laws in copyright and the evolving idea of the copyleft. I want to examine every aspect of the copyleft, immerse myself in the culture, discover what average people think about the change in the art environment, and look at the issue through an intellectual, artistic, and moral view. I will be focusing on the copyleft and music, but by default it also applies to literature and visual art.

The concept of the copyleft actually was formulated as a way to improve computer software. The GNU project defines copyleft as, “…a general method for making a program (or other work) free, and requiring all modified and extended versions of the program to be free as well.” (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/). Their logic in doing so is that of evolution. They want their programs to run as efficiently as possible. By putting their software in the public domain they allow individuals to make improvements on the software making it better for future users. How does this relate to other art? Hard to say, but it’s the idea of putting intellectual property in the public domain for the purpose of creating something better that intrigues me. I also think that human being’s pride tends to get in the way to make this idea possible.

Napster changed the way people acquired music. Since then, the Internet has allowed for constant change in the way people view media. It is this constant evolution that is so intriguing to me. The media library available on the Internet is growing at an astounding rate, and perhaps unintentionally, we have created the largest database of art ever assembled. Isn’t that something that should be praised as one of the great accomplishments of the human race? Some people would say so, while other say that it’s infringing on artist’s rights. There are an increasing number of websites that celebrate the copyleft. One such website, entitled opsound, enables browsers to listen and download songs for free and allows users to do the same while uploading original sounds, or modifying previously posted noises. Their mission statement is as follows: “Opsound is a gift economy in action, an experiment in applying the model of free software to music. Musicians and sound artists are invited to add their work to the Opsound pool using a copyleft license developed by Creative Commons. Listeners are invited to download, share, remix, and reimagine. (http://opsound.org/index.php). My goal in writing this paper is to discover the views of the artists, and the corporations, and how we can evolve in the new environment.

Other sources I will be using include course texts and the following:

Copyright law

http://www.pdinfo.com/copyrt.php

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl105.html

Fair Use

http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/copypol2.htm

Copyleft

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/

http://www.copyleft-music.com/

http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8384

http://www.opsound.org/

http://musicindustryreport.org/?p=12192

Print Culture, Pop Culture, and Music

I have become increasingly intrigued with the relationship between music and print culture. Seeing that the first stories ever told were basically songs in themselves, it is important to think about music when examining the history of print culture. Setting music to words was a way to remember stories before the technology to print material sources were available. With advances in technology, the context of music pertaining to print culture has evolved. Music started as a way to express oneself, and entertain, as a live art, instantaneous and every performance was original. The first major evolution of the culture of music arose when people developed ways to record music. In a huge advancement in society, ways to notate sounds changed the cultural scenery forever. Musicians no longer had to memorize their works, and they could archive their work for other artists to reproduce. This gave rise to music being a form of print. The Baroque period of music birthed the idea of printed music as a distributable good.

As time went on, and technology advanced, new ways of recording arose. Audio recording made it possible for musicians to preserve performances, and distribute their music in a new form. Then came big business. When hungry businessmen discovered that there was a market for recorded music, laws were established to “protect” artists and their products. Pop-culture responded to this evolution in various ways. They purchased devices to listen to records, tapes, compact discs, and mp3s, and were encouraged to buy these new forms of flash media. As more and more music was produced, individuals musically library expanded.

The birth the Internet gave music listeners a new way to obtain art. They could now download directly from the source, and didn’t need to physically go to a store to get a new song, performance recording, or new album. File sharing again changed how music was distributed. I find these changes supremely interesting and I want to do more research, and finally do my research paper on how music is a sub-division of print art, and I will be examining new question and ideas on the implications of these changes and what effect they have on the artists, and pop-culture.

Who and What is an Author?

Who, or what is an author? What is the author’s importance to culture and history, and what motivates the author to write? I think one needs to examine these questions in order to truly understand text and print culture in general. In response to the first question, in all basic terms, an author is someone who writes. On this basis, almost everybody is an author, but does society view this as the case? I think not. The author according to society is an individual that has works published, and has these works readily available to the public. Is the author really valued in modern day society? There are a vast number of talented, struggling artists who create amazing works, yet are ignored. Pop culture is very fickle. Popularity of modern written works does not equate to the artistic quality of the work.

On to the second question, what is the cultural importance of authors? Well, in short, authors preserve culture like nothing else can. Through their art we can get a glimpse of the times. Whether it is on the Trojan battlefield represented in Homer’s the Iliad, or 18^th century France represented in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, we are taken to a manifestation of the author’s mind. The setting is, however, ultimately irrelevant. The historically important ideas lie in the content of the story, i.e. the underlying themes, conflicts, and use of language.

This leads me to my final question regarding motivation. Human beings have an intrinsic need to leave their legacy. As time proceeds and technology advances, the ways individuals can leave an imprint on history has become easier. Once someone posts something on the Internet it will remain there indefinitely, floating in cyber space. Next, one must consider economic reasons. Some author’s merely write to make a living, while others write simply to express themselves. Whether this commercialism takes away from the actual art, I’ll lead it up to you, the reader, to figure it out.

The Clouds of Cause and Effect

Consideration is a concept constantly clouded by cause and effect
She was the cause
I am the effect
Effortless affection clumsily clashes with caution
Disregard these delusions
They dance with death

Pixilated Reality

Liberate my thoughts
You
pixilated my reality
I see in squares
Each one contains
glimpses of emotions
They decrease
with functionality.

Eat Them or Starve

Look at these silly people parading around in placid passiveness. He said that she said that you said blah blah, yakitee-yak. Geronimo! Let’s drown in words. Lights! Camera! Action! Cut! What a drama. Oscar worthy I think. Oh wait, the new found curtain is rising. Don’t miss your call. Who’s entering stage left? Are they even in this production? Applause! They will all say it was a good performance. Who wrote this masterpiece? The author only used the tastiest of ingredients. Oh the flavors of dramatic irony. Comic, tragic, and oh so delicious. Words, words, words, eat them or starve.

Communication and Social Evolution

The evolution of the written and printed word maintains vast implications to the social and political evolution of the world. Advances in communication have spawned major power shifts in history. Throughout the Middle Ages the Catholic Church held a monopoly over the print medium. The main works in print were Bibles written in Latin, copied by scribes, and only understood by the clergy, some motivated scholars, and those of noble decent. The Protestant Reformation changed how religion was viewed and practiced. The Catholic Church’s Monopoly on print was stifled and with that a transformation in communication arose.

This power shift allowed for the dissolving of the feudal system, the collapse of the absolute authority of the Catholic Church, and the rise of the middle class. The evolution of the printing press allowed for the education of the lower classes and created an atmosphere for a blossoming middle class, which would eventually become the bourgeoisie. With knowledge comes power, and for the lower classes of feudal Europe the access to books meant power. After Martin Luther’s The Ninety-Five Theses an individual had the opportunity read religious texts in a language they understood, and no longer relied on the Church for religious guidance. Worshippers gained some autonomy in their religious endeavors. They could analyze religious texts themselves and come to their own conclusions on their underlying meanings.

Pamphlets, Newspapers and other communication mediums also became technologies utilized. Well-motivated people with a little money and an urge to spread their word could feasibly do so. This also contributed to the declining upper classes, Church authority and the rise of the middle class. A newfound class-consciousness arose that was otherwise impossible. Today the modern pamphleteer may be the blogger. Blogging is an easy way to share views, exchange words and vent feelings. Advances in technology have made communication easier and far more accessible, marking the change into the communication age.

Copy Paste All Day Long

Oh how the scribes of the ancient world must be rolling in their graves. Their trade has transformed from one of necessity, to one of antiquity and arbitrariness. The creation of the printing press transformed the way documents were produced and ultimately distributed. Books, once a commodity only available for the wealthy, has become a tool available for the masses. Not only can the modern man access a wealth of knowledge by walking down the street to the local library, but motivated individuals can also find a plethora of knowledge with a tap from their finger via the World Wide Web.

I wonder what Johannes Trithemius would say about the writing community today. He argues in his essay, In Praise of Scribes that despite the invention of the printing press scribes should still be utilized and respected. One of his main points involves the piety associated with such a profession. He claims that a scribe working for the Church, “preserves faith, destroys heresy, dispels vice and promotes morals and virtues.” To me this makes sense only in the context in that the texts these monks were copying were sacred texts. I do understand the idea behind the piety of handwriting verses printing, because I do feel closer to my work if I hand write, but with advances in technology the Scribes has ultimately become obsolete. The modern day scribe is the modern day scholar or plagiarist utilizing copy paste all day long.