[Air-l] intellectual property

[Ted Friedman]

I'd like to second Jonathan's points, and extend them by instisting that
ultimately, definitions of "copyright" and "fair use" are established
not just through court decisions, but through social practices that
involve conflict and struggle. To the extent that we, as academics, want
to insist on greater opportunities for free and open dialogue about mass
culture - including sampling (the regulation of which has hamstrung the
aesthetic development of rap as an artform of critique and engagment),
quotation of song lyrics (an ongoing issue for scholars and critics of
popular music), appropriation of literary material (as in the current
Wind Done Gone controversy), etc. - we have a responsibility to push the
boundaries of "fair use," and not accept the tightly constrained version
copyright owners promote.

That said, I agree that it's not fair to put the burden for this on
Jeremy.

--
Ted Friedman
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication
Georgia State University
(404) 463-9522
tedf at gsu.edu
http://www.tedfriedman.com