Posted on 25 June 2008 by r
Check out Rebecca Tushnet, User-Generated Discontent: Transformation in Practice, 31 COLUM. J.L. & ARTS 110 (2008). [translation: it's in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts]
She argues that the non-commercial nature of fan works makes them transformative, an important element in determining whether a use of a copyrighted work [...]
Filed under: articles, copyright, cultural ownership, fandom, fans, intellectual property | No Comments »
Posted on 10 June 2008 by r
This video of Kermit the Frog singing plaintively (about his love for Miss Piggy?) has been making the rounds for at a while and it brings up an interesting discussion of cultural appropriation and copyright — when is it acceptable to use someone else’s work for your own entertainment? This video is simultaneously making a [...]
Filed under: Cultural appropriation, Nine Inch Nails, copyright, cultural ownership, intellectual property, muppets, music, remix culture | No Comments »
Posted on 19 May 2008 by r
Following the appointment of Doraemon as the Japanese official ambassador for anime, Hello Kitty has been appointed the Japanese official ambassador for tourism to China and Hong Kong by the Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Tetsuzo Fuyushiba. Her duties include blogging — but likely not policing counterfeit goods.
The idea of fictional characters [...]
Filed under: Japan, cats and dogs living together in harmony, cultural ownership, cute animals, international, marketing, news | No Comments »
Posted on 12 May 2008 by r
There is no better example of the political economy of the present copyright system than a recent detailed analysis of the very-likely public domain status of Happy Birthday. If not copyrighted, than why the copyright claim?
Because it is
a revenue-generating juggernaut, producing more than $2-million a year in fees for Warner Music and the offspring of [...]
Filed under: copyright, cultural ownership, intellectual property, political economy, public domain, we own it we can do what we want | 1 Comment »
Posted on 6 May 2008 by r
As you describe in your post, Who Gets to Write Fandom History?, understanding how fandoms are created and evolve is complicated. I think that is even more reason to praise fandom cultural anthropologists, like Henry Jenkins, Camille Bacon-Smith, and danah boyd, who help to create fandom snapshots of limited moments in time
Figuring out what counts [...]
Filed under: Harry Potter, copyright, cultural ownership, fan labor, fandom, fans, intellectual property | No Comments »