Girl Talk has always been one of my favorite artists, but his music was the first glimpse into copywriting I experienced. Copywrite laws and their faults are not commonly taught to young adults growing up, and artists have to do their own research to verify that their work is totally legal. Putting limitations on artistic expression can be infuriating to some people. All the same, Hard working artists who put tons of energy into their work just to get it stolen and used by someone else have the same amount of justification to be frustrated. So where is the balance?
Personally focusing on the music industry, I believe that the right way to go about with copywrite laws is to permit sampling to an extent without needing the artist’s permission, but anything beyond a sample would need consent. Then, defining “sample” would be different for each form of art. Perhaps for music it would be a certain number of seconds that they are able to copy without violating the law. Other definitions for “sample” would need to be established for each form of art where copywriting is an issue.
I haven’t decided yet where I stand on the laws of copywriting. I think both sides have valid arguments but maybe take it to an extreme that I wouldn’t agree with. Taking a whole song from someone else isn’t exactly feeding the artistic fire as much as it is not wanting to come up with your original work. That being said, strict laws against building off of other people’s creative ideas and putting it into an original frame for your own ideas should not be prohibited so strictly. As the class advances hopefully a balance between the sides will become more clear.
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