Remix

In an article written by Jay Forder, he quotes an article written by Steward Alsop titled "Copyright Protection is for Dinosaurs" where it says that copyright protects a monopoly to exploit certain rights so that people will have to engage in creative effort.  So think about this.  Monopolies are being allowed by law to exploit people and the thinking behind it is that people will HAVE to get creative to get around the road block.  But what they found was the reverse.  In actuality, because the web has made it so easy to copy and "remix" things, even more creative benefits were realized.  He even goes on to say that companies that spent time protecting their rights were less successful all around.  The more successful companies were focusing on great customer service and updating their software to keep up.  Apparently, Alsop found that even without copyright laws, established companies have the edge over newcomers because of all the obstacles a new creator has to overcome, such as making sure new software is compatible with present systems, and gaining the trust of buyers. 

I thought these reflections were on point and provided good reason for companies to pay attention to the changes the web has brought to us and the need for copyright laws to keep up with these changes.

Here's a link to another article I found interesting (written by Steward Rutledge).  He quotes someone named Bodo Balasz wrote an article where he says that we have all been brainwashed into thinking everything is a copyright infringement.  He intimates that the line drawn between infringement and artistic freedom is drawn by legislators that are paid by the rich copyright owners.  I think that's real food for thought....