UK Says No Copyright Exception For Mashups
from the apparently-they-haven't-read-remix dept
Larry Lessig's most recent book, Remix, focuses on just how common it is for people today to take existing content and "remix" it in new, useful and creative means. The problem, however, is that in almost every case this violates some aspect of copyright law. This, of course, is backwards. It's the opposite of what copyright law is intended to do. When it comes to remixed content, rather than encouraging creativity, copyright law ends up discouraging creativity. So, I'm guessing that UK gov't officials haven't read the book, as they've just turned down a request to "exempt" user-generated "mashups" from copyright law. The officials do make some valid points: including questioning whether you really can separate those who "create" vs. those who "remix." However, it is still quite troubling that such creativity is so often-stifled.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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copyright laws
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Glad to hear the UK still protects the REAL artists!
According to the US Copyright FAQ at http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html#change
"How much do I have to change in order to claim copyright in someone else's work? Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, a new version of that work. Accordingly, you cannot claim copyright to another's work, no matter how much you change it, unless you have the owner's consent. See Circular 14, Copyright Registration for Derivative Works. "
If I decided that I liked my neighbors boat, and another neighbors car, and another neighbors lawn mower and I took them and put them in my garage and called them my own, I think my neighbors would call it theft. What remixes are doing is very much the same, only maybe worse because they are taking things even more personal.
All you that are fond of remixing. When you decide to create something from scratch, not using anyone else s work, and then have a thousand people take it without payment or credit, butcher it and post it and you find yourself murderously angry, in tears, and yelling at the registered copyright contact to rip down the entire site that it is shown on, then you can start thinking your creativity is being damaged. Until then leave your hands off of other peoples property.
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