#12 Lessig and The Rip

1) After seeing the documentary film, rip, and reading Lawrence Lessig’s book, REMIX, one large connection that both of them discuss inability to build and innovate using the pasts artistic creations and originality. Lessig talks about this by using examples such as Harry Potter and Star Wars fans and how the original works they created were basically taken from them and labeled as legal property of the artist that created the first original piece.  The Film rip uses an example of a man who creates his comics using the Disney character, Mickey Mouse. The comics that he creates use the mouse in inappropriate scenario’s that Disney would never use. The Disney Corporation had been doing basically the same thing when it came to using the mouse and had created many ‘originals’ by getting ideas from other people, just like in Steamboat Willy.

2) Both Lessig and rip, explain how outdated copyright laws are creating an environment where no stability is held between the two sides, those sides being RO and RW. The copyright law was created to protect the not only the rights of the individual who created the original work, but also to protect the rights of those who would later use the work to create something else with their own creativity.  As time went on, we now have a copyright law that no longer protects those individuals creativity and original works. With this change came the term that both Lessig and rip mention which is the copyleft, opposed to copyright. The copyright law now protects the large corporate interest rather than a person’s creativity and innovation.

3) Lastly, Lessig and rip both thoroughly explain Creative Commons. Lessig talks about how Creative Commons is used to signal which kind of economy a creator is creating for (226). Different aspects help to identify with RIAA and Creative Commons. RIAA being for artists who want to distribute their art according to the rules of the commercial economy. Creative Commons for those artists who want to SHARE their works so that others can do basically whatever they want with them. The film rip uses artists such as Girl Talk that support Creative Commons and what it does for todays outdated copyright laws. It shows that more people are interested in a sharing or hybrid economy opposed to what we have now.  Both the film and the book make clear that our economy has to change and that Creative Commons is a big step in the right direction.

#11 Commercial VS. Shared

     Throughout this chapter Lessig makes it very clear the differences between a commercial economy and a shared economy. Both are a large part of today's world and work very well for what they are meant for. A commercial economy is where a type of money, or appropriate currency, is exchanged for a good or a service. A simple example of this would be paying for groceries in a grocery store. A shared economy is where only goods and services are traded and no money is involved in the exchange. An example of this would be two farmers exchanging crops that the other does not grow, both help each other and benefit from the exchange in goods. A sharing economy is based around the idea that people in a community give/exchange goods/servies with others because of a kind of personal benefit that a person gets in helping out others. Money in a sharing economy is unneeded and unnecessary.  Lessig furthers this explanation of a sharing economy by giving two subcategories which are 'thin-sharing economies' and 'thick-sharing economies.'  The difference between the two is basically how much personal benefit will be gained during the contribution or exchange.
     Finally, Lessig argues that as our world is becoming technologically based that there will be a need for a hybrid of the two economies.  Lessig claims that RO and RW cultures will be a large part of our worlds future and will be ruled by the internet.  A good understanding of these two economies and the ability to grasp how they can be fused together will be what it takes for business/personal success in the future.