Julianna Yau’s blog

Over the last few years I have gradually become more involved with the issues surrounding the need for copyright reform and have found the copyright-copyleft tug-of-war to be quite frustrating. This frustration stems not from an agreement being unreachable, but with the way we’ve been going about all of this. I am a nose-to-the-grindstone person who likes to get things done and move on. I have little patience or time for boisterous debates for the enjoyment of the debate or for open catfights and nitpicking over irrelevant matters.

So, from that perspective, here are some thoughts I would like to throw out to my fellow creators and copyfighters:

1. Not all creative media are the same.
   music ≠ software ≠ visual art ≠ literature ≠ movies ≠ new media
   Their methods of creation and dissemination are not the same. Their audience and use are not the same. Their value is not based on the same factors. Therefore, the same rules can not always be applied to them. Each must be analysed separately, while keeping in mind the knowledge of the others.
2. Involve all creators in the move towards copyright reform.
   This is a call not only to legislators but to the proponents of the copyleft movement. Creators are necessarily open-minded, but no one likes to have things taken from them and to be told that it’s for the best. Give your fellow creators the tools and knowledge necessary to understand the issues and make the leap themselves.
3. Just because we don’t completely agree on everything doesn’t mean we completely disagree on everything.
   This would seem quite obvious, but not everyone (on either side) seems to go into discussions with this perspective. Let’s find the common ground and work from there.
4. Don’t muddle the line between private/non-profit creative reuse and public/for-profit creative reuse.
   This is a call to both sides of the copyfight. In most cases, there is agreement that there should be fair use/user rights for private and/or non-profit creative reuse of works. The main issue seems to be finding the line in the sand where it moves from private/non-profit to public/for-profit—and this line may never be completely clear. But lets stop using the extreme examples for our arguments and try to wade through that messy grey area.
5. Indirect criticism without education is not constructive.
   Whatever happened to contacting another party directly if you disagree with them? Yes, blogs and similar tools are great for reaching many people and having open discussions. I have found, however, that there is still great value in one-on-one discussions (and sometimes, gasp!, in-person) with people—often this direct contact flushes out the fact that we agree on more than we thought we did.
6. Money isn’t everything, but we all have to eat.
   ’nuff said. Let’s find a healthy balance between no money because we’re giving away everything and overprotecting everything because we want more money. I don’t think anyone any creator actually wants either of those scenarios, anyway. If there are other ways to generate revenue, let’s include those ideas in discussions on copyright so that those of us who are used to the traditional copyright model are more comfortable with a newer model.

Thoughts?

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