I was glad to find that Lessig's writing style was easier to read than Miller's. It might have to do with the stories of individuals being discussed, where I can imagine it being me in their situation. It was a more enjoyable read.
I feel that the introduction is setting up the question of 'who has the copyrights to a song?' and 'how far do these rights to ownership go?' If Prince in the background, barely perceptible, is a violation and the smallest samples used and reused are an infringement on an artist's copyright, how do we know how far to go? Lessig relays a couple stories with different impacts and outcomes, but it all revolves around someone creating a whole new product using the inspiration of past songs, movies, books, etc.
RW stands for Read/Write culture, a culture where we can listen, read, see something and rework it into a whole new creation. It's a culture of participation, one person puts something out in the world and then the crowd comes back with a modified version.
The RO culture is a Read Only culture, one in which all we can do is listen to a song, watch a movie, but in no way reuse the elements found in them, they are the property of their creators.
In my understanding, these two cultures are important in illustrating Lessig's argument because we seem to become a Read Only culture where no elements of a song can be used instead of turning into a Read/Write culture where everything could be shared and creativity would blossom. Lessig wants us to realize the two options we have and the elements (like Sony) that stop us from reaching our full potential.
Sousa wanted to extend copyright to protect artists, not to gain a grip on the freedom of a society, Lessig writes
I believe Lessig uses Sousa as an example to show that a balance can be found between no copyright and too much copyright. When he writes of Sony's lawsuit for a Prince Song that would not be downloaded and would make no impact on Prince's or Sony's income he shows that this control is going too far. In the story of the Creative Commons Colombia he lets us know that with very little copyright, the outcome is just as good, artists retain their name and are part of constant creation and reinvention.
I feel that the introduction is setting up the question of 'who has the copyrights to a song?' and 'how far do these rights to ownership go?' If Prince in the background, barely perceptible, is a violation and the smallest samples used and reused are an infringement on an artist's copyright, how do we know how far to go? Lessig relays a couple stories with different impacts and outcomes, but it all revolves around someone creating a whole new product using the inspiration of past songs, movies, books, etc.
RW stands for Read/Write culture, a culture where we can listen, read, see something and rework it into a whole new creation. It's a culture of participation, one person puts something out in the world and then the crowd comes back with a modified version.
The RO culture is a Read Only culture, one in which all we can do is listen to a song, watch a movie, but in no way reuse the elements found in them, they are the property of their creators.
In my understanding, these two cultures are important in illustrating Lessig's argument because we seem to become a Read Only culture where no elements of a song can be used instead of turning into a Read/Write culture where everything could be shared and creativity would blossom. Lessig wants us to realize the two options we have and the elements (like Sony) that stop us from reaching our full potential.
Sousa wanted to extend copyright to protect artists, not to gain a grip on the freedom of a society, Lessig writes
"Sousa didn't believe that every use of culture should be regulated. Indeed, he thought it ridiculous to imagine a world where it was 'unlawful to get together and sing.' That part of culture [...] must be left unregulated, Sousa believed, even if another part of culture [...] needed to be regulated more" (32).
I believe Lessig uses Sousa as an example to show that a balance can be found between no copyright and too much copyright. When he writes of Sony's lawsuit for a Prince Song that would not be downloaded and would make no impact on Prince's or Sony's income he shows that this control is going too far. In the story of the Creative Commons Colombia he lets us know that with very little copyright, the outcome is just as good, artists retain their name and are part of constant creation and reinvention.
I'm glad you're enjoying the book. You're spot on w/ your summary. I would've been curious to hear you say a bit more about Sousa, but the quote you pull is very appropriate. You might want to think about whether or not we've ever fully been a RO culture (thinking here of Jenkins points about participatory culture throughout time). Good post.
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