I really like this manifesto because I feel like it captures what creating is all about. The first one states, "Culture always builds on the past", which is true. First came the wheel, and then the wagon, and then the car. And the point here is that the idea of the wheel was not stolen, but rather used in the creation of something new and better. Where would we be now if someone had taken a copyright on the wheel?
That brings me to the second point that states, "The past always tries to control the future". People always have a tendency to want to control the future, and so they take measures in the present in order to do so. The best example of this is when Disney was given the rights to the "Happy Birthday" tune. They didn't even come up with it, but they saw the profit they could make off of it and so they claimed the rights to it.
This goes along with the third point, "Our future is becoming less free". Since Disney was given the rights to the Happy Birthday song, then anyone who uses it (such as restaurants and literally anyone who sings happy birthday) is legally required to pay royalty fees to Disney. Which is ridiculous in my opinion.
And finally we have the last point, "To build free societies you must limit the control of the past", which is what we need to start doing. If we want to create a better future, then we need to take the ideas of the present and transform them into new and greater things. But we can't do that if everyone in the present is claiming their rights on every piece of media. Copyright laws need to change and adapt to the present before we move into the future. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week. Until next time!
Hello Eden,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post. I also really like how you present your blog page. I thought the Remix Manifesto documentary was very interesting as well. You touch on some great points in your blog on the creativity of remixing digital content. You also added great quotes to your blog such as, "Culture always builds on the past." I liked how you talked about how the past is always trying to control the future. I can absolutely see the truth in this and I too think that remixing can add creativity and enhance quality in a digital content that could be seen as old and useless. Keep up the good work.
- Cody