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'Copyright Abolitionists' Fight for Freedom-Based Distribution of Artistic Work

By Bruce Carton

The latest proof that I do not get out enough comes via this post yesterday on the Against Monopoly blog, which discusses an entire movement within the law that I did not know existed: the "copyright abolitionists." The Against Monopoly post links to the work of Nina Paley, an animator who is also the "artist-in-residence" at QuestionCopyright.org and a self-professed copyright abolitionist. In this post on QuestionCopyright.org, Paley argues that while all creative work is derivative, copyright control nonetheless extends not just to verbatim copies, but to "derivative works." She says that this has led to censorship on a grand scale, such as when "the seminal German silent film 'Nosferatu' was deemed a derivative work of 'Dracula' and courts ordered all copies destroyed." Paley argues that "the whole history of human culture evolves through copying, making tiny transformations (sometimes called 'errors') with each replication. Copying is the engine of cultural progress. It is not 'stealing.'" To demonstrate this point, Paley has created the interesting video below (and the "Jesus Loop" to the right) showing how sculptures have evolved through the years by building on what came before: Paley adds that "copyright maximalists" (the group that I now understand to be...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).