EVERYTHING IS A
REMIX
Copying
Public Good
v
Intellectual
Property
Creativity
&
Evolution
Everything
is a Remix
CREATIVIT Y & EVOLUTION
 Creativity: something new, and in some valuable way, is created
 Basic elements: Copy  Transform  Combine
CREATIVIT Y & EVOLUTION
 Remix: to combine or edit existing materials to produce
something new
 Social Evolution
 Evolution  Copy, Transform, Combine
 Social Evolution  Copy, Transform, Combine
 Memes!...  Ideas, Behaviors, Skills…
COPYING
Copying: necessary to have a
foundation of knowledge and
understanding
 Copying is easier than creating an
original!
 Ex: 74/100 highest-grossing films =
remakes or sequels of existing work
 Creation requires influence
 Everything we make is a remix of
existing creations, our lives, and
the lives of others
 “If I have seen further is it because
I am standing on the shoulders of
giants” – Isaac Newton
COPYING
Copying: necessary to have a
foundation of knowledge and
understanding
 Copying is easier than creating an
original!
 Ex: 74/100 highest-grossing films =
remakes or sequels of existing work
 Creation requires influence
 Everything we make is a remix of
existing creations, our lives, and
the lives of others
 “If I have seen further is it because
I am standing on the shoulders of
giants” – Isaac Newton
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
Intellectual Property: Ideas can be owned
Copyright: A legal right created by the law of a country,
that grants the creator of an original work exclusive
rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited
time, with the intention of enabling the creator to make
$$$$
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
Fair Use: the ability to use a small amount of someone’s creative
work without permission, but only in certain ways
 Use allowed for school, news reporting, criticism, comedy IF
in small amount, new meaning given, used in a dif ferent way,
and for nonprofit only
Copyright Infringement : The use of works protected
by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive
rights granted to the copyright holder
 Ex: the right to reproduce, distribute, or display the protected
work
 The distinction between what is fair use and what is infringement
in a particular case will not always be clear or easily defined.
 Ex: 1981: George Harrison lost $1 .5 million
 Subconscious Copying
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
Copyright Act of 1790 “An Act For the
Encouragement of Learning”  cover
media
 Ex: Acknowledging the source of
the copyrighted material does not
substitute for obtaining permission.
Patent Act of 1790 “An Act to
Promote the Progress of Useful Arts”
 cover inventions
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
Copyrights & Patents: Intended to address
imbalance of $ in copying v original creation
Brief and limited period of exclusivity (a period
where no one else could copy your work)
This gave creators a window to cover their
investment (development $) and earn a profit
Public domain: after period of exclusivity,
original creations enter the public domain,
where creative work is not protected by
copyright and is therefore free for one to use
however one wa nts
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
 Patents
 Patent: a blueprint for how to make an invention
 Software Patent: a loose description of what something
would be like if it were actually invented
 62% of Patent lawsuits  over software patents = $500 billion
 Trade Agreements v Laws
 TA: Treaties, not laws, can therefore be negotiated in
secret, w/ no public input and no congressional
approval
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
 Loss Aversion
 Idea that promoted intellectual property
 “We hate losing what we’ve got”
 When we copy, we justify it ---- When others copy, we
vilify it
 Opportunistic Litigation
 Thanks to the expanding reach of intellectual property, one can
sue to make a buck
 Entire business model is opportunistic litigation
 They acquire a library of intellectual property rights, and litigate to
make a profit
 Sample Trolls and Patent Trolls
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
 Loss Aversion
 Idea that promoted intellectual property
 “We hate losing what we’ve got”
 When we copy, we justify it ---- When others copy, we
vilify it
 Opportunistic Litigation
 Thanks to the expanding reach of intellectual property, one can
sue to make a buck
 Entire business model is opportunistic litigation
 They acquire a library of intellectual property rights, and litigate to
make a profit
 Sample Trolls and Patent Trolls
PUBLIC GOOD V INTELLECTUAL PROPERT Y
 Loss Aversion
 Idea that promoted intellectual property
 “We hate losing what we’ve got”
 When we copy, we justify it ---- When others copy, we
vilify it
 Opportunistic Litigation
 Thanks to the expanding reach of intellectual property, one can
sue to make a buck
 Entire business model is opportunistic litigation
 They acquire a library of intellectual property rights, and litigate to
make a profit
 Sample Trolls and Patent Trolls