After watching part 4 of Everything is a Remix, I feel like a hypocrite. I'm the first to admit that if I gain from the copy of someone else's material, I don't feel guilt at all. But yes, I do become territorial about anything I may work to create and am not inclined to just give it away. I do however believe that ideas should still be considered as property.
I think the issue we're faced with isn't whether or not ideas should be considered as property, but how far the interpretations surrounding ownership should be allowed to go. As we develop a more sophisticated world to live in, we also develop more sophisticated ways to stay ahead of the competition. It seems like legal jargon is becoming the new 'weapon' in the fight to stay at the front of the pack.
It is unfair that Patent Trolls are buying up patents then going out and finding companies to sue, or hearing about Disney wanting to increase the lifetime of copyright ownership, or people like Steve jobs openly admitting they tried to copy every good idea out there, then threatened all out war when they're on the other side of the coin. Unfortunately it simply reflects the susceptibility of the legal system to manipulation and the methods businesses are willing to employ to get what they want.
It is these creative, but unethical legal interpretations of patents and copyrights that are at fault. We need policing to stop this abuse of the system. Until that obstacle is overcome, I don't see this problem being resolved anytime soon.
It is easy to see how patents, copyrights and intellectual property have become an intertwined mess, but in your concluding paragraph you talk about policing these interpretations as being the solution. I like how the video ended saying that policing and the legalities of the mentioned above are in a way stopping progress. Letting ideas move freely without entanglement seems the best way for our future, but the problem is just getting there.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I agree with Chad on this issue. Ideas (& knowledge) "want to be free" & I think that regulations are futile. It continues to be a cat and mouse game, with the only winners being the big companies, who have the resources to play this game.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, in order to let ideas move freely, there is a prerequisite that the people who innovate will have to abide by- no longer seek financial rewards for their contributions. That just doesn't seem likely.
ReplyDeleteI think it is more realistic to put an end to all-encompassing, vague in the wording on copyrights and patents. Part 4 also mentions that is a big contributor to the problem.