Don't Waste Culture, Recycle Art

Eddan Katz writes "Stepping up the copyright battle on behalf of artists, EFF is hosting an event tonight called Digital Mix at the Black Box in Oakland. Between laptop music, hip hop, and illegal art films, speakers will talk about the Creative Commons sampling license and EFF's "Let the Music Play" campaign."

Comments

Re:On behalf of the artists?

[Mr. McGibby]

every Joe's right to use my music

As soon as you sold it to Joe, it ceased to be purely your music. He gave you money, and you gave him music. He lost money, you gained money. He gained music, you lost WHAT?

Why do you think that somehow you should still have *absolute* control over what you sold him?

All information is based on the work of others. Modern musicians don't seem to understand that thousands of years of musicians are responsible for what they are able to do. Did you come up with polyphany? Then why are you using it? Did you ask first?

It takes a LOT of effort to create new and unique soundbytes, hits and signatur rifts.

It's not as unique as you think. Can you guarantee that you aren't influenced by other musicians? Are you sure that the rift you just came up with isn't really based on something you heard the other night in the subway? Shouldn't you be compensating that guy?

Moral Rights Under the Berne Convention

[David Hume]

The rights of one do not cancel out the rights of another.

Uh... exactly. Someone sampling your rift (sic) doesn't in any way harm you. If anything it will make the listener curious as to where that killer beat came from and cause him/her to seek out the original.

What if the sample of your work is used without your permission in Nazi, White Supremacy or Anti-Semitic music, and you disaprove? Why should the fruit of your creativity and your labor be used without your permission to promote people, ideas and movements you loath?

Please consider an author's Moral Rights under the Berne Convention:

Article 6bis

(1) Independently of the author's economic rights, and even after the transfer of the said rights, the author shall have the right to claim authorship of the work and to object to any distortion, mutilation or other modification of, or other derogatory action in relation to, the said work, which would be prejudicial to his honor or reputation.

Also consider an author's Right of Adaptation under the Berne Convention:

Article 12

Authors of literary or artistic works shall enjoy the exclusive right of authorizing adaptations, arrangements and other alterations of their works.