TEDTalk Tuesday: How creativity is being strangled by the law

[Occulus]

Apologies for my absence last week, but I was out of town and unable to post a talk. For this week's TEDTALKTUESDAY, we hear from a man who speaks to us of creativity, copyright law, and what he calls the "read/write" culture (and how copyright law is strangling it to death). This talk received a standing ovation from the TED attendees, and is well worth watching, if for nothing less than the hilarious video clips partway in.

Enjoy!

LARRYLESSIG

Talk Title: How creativity is being strangled by the law (video runtime: 19:07)



Lessig presenting "The Ethics of the Free Culture Movement" at Wikimania 2006.

Wiki bio

About this Talk

Larry Lessig gets TEDsters to their feet, whooping and whistling, following this elegant presentation of “three stories and an argument.” The Net’s most adored lawyer brings together John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights, and the “ASCAP cartel” to build a case for creative freedom. He pins down the key shortcomings of our dusty, pre-digital intellectual property laws, and reveals how bad laws beget bad code. Then, in an homage to cutting-edge artistry, he throws in some of the most hilarious remixes you’ve ever seen.

ed.: added runtime

[Atman]

1. Phenomenal

Thank you for posting. I've already sent the link to many, many people.

.

[Occulus]

4. Thanks, Atman n/t

[Solon]

2. Where would the Walt Disney be today without the public domain?

Think of all the stories and folklore they retold, that, more than once, increased their popularity and led to new movements in creativity in cinema. Yet, today, they push for laws to get rid of the same public domain that they themselves capitalized on.

Nothing is created in a total vacuum, everything builds upon the creativity of the past, we cannot lose that, to lose that makes for cultural stagnation.

[unpossibles]

3. interesting series

I love the TED talks. Thanks for the link.

[Occulus]

5. I give the TED link to anyone I meet who hasn't ever been there

It's so eclectic. I just always seem to love whatever I see from there...

[unpossibles]

7. me too

but had not watched one in a while. I shared it with my fellow (ulp!) photo rights permission people.

[JeffR]

6. Thanks!

That's great stuff.

[Occulus]

8. Shameless self-kick for the evening crowd n/t

[Feron]

9. Great video! Thanks

For those who haven't seen it yet, I promise you it isn't boring and is well worth watching.

And he is right. It reminds me of the recent case with Prince's lawyers ordering a video on Youtube taken down simply because one of his songs was playing in the background (and not as a soundtrack).

[Occulus]

10. The European equivalent of the RIAA is suing an auto shop, I think

Get this: the Performing Rights Society is suing a firm called Kwik-Fit because of this:

The PRS claimed that Kwik-Fit mechanics routinely use personal radios while working at service centres across the UK and that music, protected by copyright, could be heard by colleagues and customers.

...

The judge said: "The allegations are of a widespread and consistent picture emerging over many years whereby routine copyright infringement in the workplace was, or inferentially must have been, known to and 'authorised' or 'permitted' by local and central management."

They were only playing the music as a background for their own work. Imagine not ever being able to have music in your workplace if it may be heard by someone other than you, who purchased the 'license to listen' (!!!!!).

This is part of the "common sense" point made in the talk: copyright law disobeys common sense on a regular basis. Woe to us if this suit migrates into the US; everything from graduation parties to car stereos could be at risk. To those who say I'm letting my imagination get the best of me, well- I never, ever imagined employees could be sued for playing music within customers' hearing, and I bet you didn't, either. Granted, this is overseas, but I'm going to lay odds it doesn't stay that way. If this suit is a success, look for the RIAA to try the exact same thing.