Good Copy Bad Copy
Encyclopedia
Good Copy Bad Copy, A documentary about the current state of copyright and culture, is a documentary about copyright
and culture
in the context of Internet
, peer-to-peer
file sharing
and other technological advances, directed by Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen, and Henrik Moltke.
It features interviews with many people with various perspectives on copyright
, including copyright lawyers, producers, artists and filesharing service providers.
A central point of the documentary is the thesis that "creativity itself is on the line" and that a balance needs to be struck, or that there is a conflict, between protecting the right of those who own intellectual property and the rights of future generations to create.
and DJ Danger Mouse, popular musicians of the mashup
scene who cut and remix sounds from other songs into their own. The interviews with these artists reveal an emerging understanding of digital works and the obstacle to their authoring copyright
presents.
The interviews featured in Good Copy Bad Copy acknowledge a recent shift towards user-generated content
, mashup
music and video culture. The documentary opens with explaining the current legal situation concerning sampling
, licensing and copyright
.
Good Copy Bad Copy documents the conflict between current copyright
law and recent technological advances that enable the sampling
of music, as well as the distribution of copyrighted material via peer-to-peer
file sharing
searchengines such as The Pirate Bay
. MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America
) CEO Dan Glickman
is interviewed in connection with a raid by the Swedish police against The Pirate Bay in May 2006. Glickman concedes that piracy will never be stopped, but states that they will try to make it as difficult and tedious as possible. Gottfrid Svartholm
and Fredrik Neij
from The Pirate Bay are also interviewed, with Neij stating that The Pirate Bay is illegal according to US law, but not Swedish law.
The interviews document attitudes towards art
, culture and copyright in a number of countries, including the US, Sweden
, Russia
, Nigeria
, and Brazil
.
The situation in Nigeria
and Brazil
is documented in terms of innovative business models that have developed in response to new technological possibilities and changing markets.
In Nigeria
the documentary interviews individuals working within the Nigerian film
industry, or Nollywood. Charles Igwe, a film producer in Lagos, is interviewed at length about his views on the Nigerian film industry, the nature of Nigerian films, and copyright in the context of digital video
technology. Mayo Ayilaran, from the Copyright Society of Nigeria, explains the Nigerian government's approach to copyright enforcement.
In Brazil
the Tecno brega
industry and its unique approach to copyright
and sampling
is documented, featuring interviews with amongst others Ronaldo Lemos
, Professor of Law FGV
Brazil. Lemos explains that CDs or recorded music is treated merely as an advertisement for parties and concerts that generate revenue.
Good Copy Bad Copy also includes interview segments with copyright activist and academic Lawrence Lessig
.
, the film was eventually released for free on the internet as a BitTorrent download. The filmmakers hope that releasing Good Copy Bad Copy for free will raise awareness and lead to other local broadcasting networks to show the documentary.
The documentary first appeared on The Pirate Bay and then it was officially released under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial license on the Blip.tv
video sharing site.
On the 8th of May, 2008, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on SVT2
, Swedish Television.
On the 8th of September, 2009, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on YLE FST5, Finnish Television.
On the 5th of January 2010, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on SBS
, Australian Television.
The documentary and an unofficial trailer are available on YouTube
, and the full film is on Google Video and blip.tv.
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
in the context of Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
and other technological advances, directed by Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen, and Henrik Moltke.
It features interviews with many people with various perspectives on copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
, including copyright lawyers, producers, artists and filesharing service providers.
A central point of the documentary is the thesis that "creativity itself is on the line" and that a balance needs to be struck, or that there is a conflict, between protecting the right of those who own intellectual property and the rights of future generations to create.
Content
Artists interviewed include Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)
Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
and DJ Danger Mouse, popular musicians of the mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
scene who cut and remix sounds from other songs into their own. The interviews with these artists reveal an emerging understanding of digital works and the obstacle to their authoring copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
presents.
The interviews featured in Good Copy Bad Copy acknowledge a recent shift towards user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
, mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
music and video culture. The documentary opens with explaining the current legal situation concerning sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, licensing and copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
.
Good Copy Bad Copy documents the conflict between current copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law and recent technological advances that enable the sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of music, as well as the distribution of copyrighted material via peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
searchengines such as The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay is a Swedish website which hosts magnet links and .torrent files, which allow users to share electronic files, including multimedia, computer games and software via BitTorrent...
. MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
) CEO Dan Glickman
Dan Glickman
Daniel Robert "Dan" Glickman is an American businessman and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until 2001, prior to which he represented the Fourth Congressional District of Kansas as a Democrat in Congress for 18 years. He was Chairman and CEO of the...
is interviewed in connection with a raid by the Swedish police against The Pirate Bay in May 2006. Glickman concedes that piracy will never be stopped, but states that they will try to make it as difficult and tedious as possible. Gottfrid Svartholm
Gottfrid Svartholm
Per Gottfrid Svartholm Warg , alias anakata, is a Swedish computer specialist, known as the co-owner of the web hosting company PRQ and co-founder of the BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay together with Fredrik Neij and Peter Sunde...
and Fredrik Neij
Fredrik Neij
Hans Fredrik Lennart Neij , a.k.a. TiAMO, is a co-founder of The Pirate Bay, a BitTorrent index site and tracker. He also owned the web host PRQ, which previously hosted The Pirate Bay....
from The Pirate Bay are also interviewed, with Neij stating that The Pirate Bay is illegal according to US law, but not Swedish law.
The interviews document attitudes towards art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, culture and copyright in a number of countries, including the US, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
The situation in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
is documented in terms of innovative business models that have developed in response to new technological possibilities and changing markets.
In Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
the documentary interviews individuals working within the Nigerian film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
industry, or Nollywood. Charles Igwe, a film producer in Lagos, is interviewed at length about his views on the Nigerian film industry, the nature of Nigerian films, and copyright in the context of digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
technology. Mayo Ayilaran, from the Copyright Society of Nigeria, explains the Nigerian government's approach to copyright enforcement.
In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
the Tecno brega
Tecno brega
Tecno brega or technobrega is a form of music from northern Brazil, particularly Belém. Music of the genre is created primarily through remixing and reworking songs from popular music and music from the eighties. While there is a large amount of famous music used in techno brega, the majority of...
industry and its unique approach to copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
is documented, featuring interviews with amongst others Ronaldo Lemos
Ronaldo Lemos
Ronaldo Lemos da Silva Júnior, Brazilian academic and commentator on copyright, technology and culture. Lemos is Project Lead of the Creative Commons Brazil, Creative Commons International...
, Professor of Law FGV
FGV
FGV can refer to:*Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana, a Spanish railway company.*Fundação Getúlio Vargas, a Brazilian think tank....
Brazil. Lemos explains that CDs or recorded music is treated merely as an advertisement for parties and concerts that generate revenue.
Good Copy Bad Copy also includes interview segments with copyright activist and academic Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
.
Credits
- Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
, Producer - Dr Lawrence Ferrara, Director of Music Department NYU
- Paul V. Licalsi, Attorney Sonnenschein
- Jane Peterer, Bridgeport Music
- Dr. Siva VaidhyanathanSiva VaidhyanathanSiva Vaidhyanathan is a cultural historian and media scholar, and is currently a professor of Media Studies and Law at the University of Virginia. Vaidhyanathan is a frequent contributor on media and cultural issues in various periodicals including The Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times...
, NYU - Danger MouseDanger MouseBrian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
, Producer - Dan GlickmanDan GlickmanDaniel Robert "Dan" Glickman is an American businessman and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until 2001, prior to which he represented the Fourth Congressional District of Kansas as a Democrat in Congress for 18 years. He was Chairman and CEO of the...
, CEO MPAA - Gottfrid SvartholmGottfrid SvartholmPer Gottfrid Svartholm Warg , alias anakata, is a Swedish computer specialist, known as the co-owner of the web hosting company PRQ and co-founder of the BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay together with Fredrik Neij and Peter Sunde...
, The Pirate Bay - Fredrik NeijFredrik NeijHans Fredrik Lennart Neij , a.k.a. TiAMO, is a co-founder of The Pirate Bay, a BitTorrent index site and tracker. He also owned the web host PRQ, which previously hosted The Pirate Bay....
, The Pirate Bay - Rick Falkvinge, Pirate Party
- Lawrence LessigLawrence LessigLawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
, Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons... - Ronaldo LemosRonaldo LemosRonaldo Lemos da Silva Júnior, Brazilian academic and commentator on copyright, technology and culture. Lemos is Project Lead of the Creative Commons Brazil, Creative Commons International...
, Professor of Law Fundação Getulio VargasFundação Getúlio VargasFundação Getulio Vargas is a Brazilian higher education institution founded on December 20, 1944. It offers regular courses of Economics, Business Administration, Law, Social Sciences and Information technology management...
(FGV) Brazil - Charles Igwe, Film Producer Lagos Nigeria
- Mayo Ayilaran, Copyright Society of Nigeria
- Olivier ChastanOlivier ChastanOlivier Chastan is a record producer and record executive.He started producing rock records in France and then moved to the USA where he worked at Sony Music and BMG. During this period he was also an artist manager focusing on European artists. In 2002, he started The Reel Factory, a video...
, VP RecordsVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:... - John KennedyJohn Kennedy (lawyer)John Kennedy is a British entertainment lawyer whose career has been largely in the record industry.-Career:John Kennedy was the chairman and CEO of IFPI, an organisation representing the recording industry worldwide with a membership of 1,400 record companies...
, Chairman International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) - Shira Perlmutter, Head of Global Legal Policy International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)
- Peter JennerPeter JennerPeter Jenner is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises.- Early career :...
, Sincere Management - John BuckmanJohn BuckmanJohn Buckman is founder of Magnatune, a Berkeley, California-based record label he founded in 2003 and which is known for its commercial application of Creative Commons licensing and overtly artist-friendly business practices...
, Magnatune Records - Beto Metralha, Producer Belém do Pará Brazil
- DJ Dinho, Tupinambá Belém do Pará Brazil
Distribution
Originally created for the Danish National Broadcasting Television networkDanmarks Radio
DR – officially rendered into English as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation – is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is today Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise...
, the film was eventually released for free on the internet as a BitTorrent download. The filmmakers hope that releasing Good Copy Bad Copy for free will raise awareness and lead to other local broadcasting networks to show the documentary.
The documentary first appeared on The Pirate Bay and then it was officially released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
Attribution-NonCommercial license on the Blip.tv
Blip.tv
The website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
video sharing site.
On the 8th of May, 2008, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on SVT2
SVT2
SVT2, until 1996 TV2, is one of two television channels broadcast by Sveriges Television in Sweden. It was started by Sveriges Radio in 1969. SVT2 is generally more specialist, compared to SVT1.-History:...
, Swedish Television.
On the 8th of September, 2009, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on YLE FST5, Finnish Television.
On the 5th of January 2010, Good Copy Bad Copy was shown on SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
, Australian Television.
The documentary and an unofficial trailer are available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, and the full film is on Google Video and blip.tv.
External links
- Official website
- Trailer at blip.tvBlip.tvThe website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
- Full feature, downloadable at blip.tvBlip.tvThe website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....