It is impossible to own an idea! It is merely just an idea. A formation of thoughts that can come together and create that one spark needed to start a giant fire. I suppose if you were a lawyer you would take that spark, put it on paper, copyright the s***house out of it and then roll in your creation’s revenue...but not everyone is a lawyer.
It was news to me to find out that Disney stole the idea of Steamboat Willie from an already existing silent film, but what I did already know was that Disney steals parts of other cultures to re-create a film for kids. I shouldn’t say “steals” but rather Disney borrows its aspects and creates something that can be simply understood. When I think back to watching Mulan for the first time, I remember thinking how different this movie was to the rest I had seen. This was a brand new culture I had not seen before, nor did I know anything about it. But it was out there.
Lawrence Lessig makes a good point when he says:
"Creators here and everywhere are always and at all times building upon the creativity that went before and that surrounds them now"
"Creators here and everywhere are always and at all times building upon the creativity that went before and that surrounds them now"
Obviously different cultures and symbols mark a good place for creators to start thinking; even fictional stories must have a birth place in the heart of everyday life. In the case of doujinshi, these comics survive by being copycats of manga comics. They use an already-thought-of idea and copy it to make the doujinshi comics. In the same way that culture jamming uses already-thought-of symbols to create a message for the consumer market. For example: the McDonalds symbol
I believe that Lessig is bothered by the fact that not all creative rights are free. Perhaps if they were, more things like doujinshi would exist, however we do have to live under the law and “intellectual property” is that law, but it can have holes. Hence why Walt Disney Inc. has and will continue to re-create existing ideas for the growth of their company.
Lessig L, 2005, ‘Free Culture: The nature and future of creativity’, Penguin, Sydney
Hi Dimity,
ReplyDeleteI was waiting for someone to be the first to blog about this reading, because for me it highlighted lots of interesting points.
I also was surprised to discover that Disney "borrowed" plenty of ideas for their animated films, obviously it isnt unheard of in the media industry - but i wondered how they make such successful children's movies from other film's ideas! But we must remember that people build upon the creativity of others before and around them. Especially in reference to the Japanese manga and doujinshi culture...
I think the best part of the reading was how relevant it was, The Disney case really captured my attention...
Anyway, Great deconstruction post :)
This is an interesting opinion DXW1 but can we really say that culture jammers are 'able partake in such activities without fear of prosecution'? For example the picture you used Dim, Macca's could easily prosecute the person who made this Jam for deformation. There are many reasons that Maccas wouldn't take action against this jam. The person not being in breach of copyright law is not really one of them...
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article on this idea. :) http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/1584/1/C13_Fitzgerald.pdf
It is indeed a very grey area...the whole idea of copyright. I mean the whole idea of creating something usually doesn't start with creation...you don't just get a crazy thought in your head and go 'bingo i want to invent that.' Often a thought or idea is created from what you already know...For example if someone presents an idea that is stupid you know it's stupid so you won't try it. However, what you will most likely do is change/manipulate that idea to a certain extent to make it into something else....something that is useful and viable. I think this applies to almost everything whether it be music, film, games, ideas or whatever. They usually stem from something that already exists or has already been created. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you trace almost everything that has ever been invented or created back, you will most likely find that it, too some extent, was a copy of something previously....whether fully or partially. Personally I don't think Disney borrowing or 'stealing' ideas is any different to what most people do when they are creating information or ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the ideas we come up with should stay in our heads only in order to protect them!
ReplyDeleteAs AJobst said that copyright is neither as simple as black or white, there are plenty of shades of grey in the middle! Having a creative idea should mean that it is yours if you had initially created it end of story. But even what I found which I wrote in my blog is that it isn't as simple as that. I had even used the example of Barbie and Bratz dolls which could be compared on similar grounds to Disney and the recreation of their stories. Creatively looking at it if you take an idea add on to it, subtract a few things and change the shape who would it belong to? The new creator or the original? This always pops into my head 'if your going to take someones idea you need to recreate it to make it your own' (yep...got that pot of gold from Americas next top model)!
i agree with you and idea is merely an idea it is hard to copyright something that is not physically there. BUT, i do feel that intellectual property laws and content control have a place in our society. Simply because of the way our society is structured around a capitalist notion... i know alot of people out there see the word capitalism as a naughty word.. and well i dont know about that.. but that is the reality we live in. good bad thats your call.
ReplyDeleteI used the same quote in my blog post cause it's true that all ideas are somehow connected and borrowed to an idea that has been done before. Originality is really hard to come by and with the laws of copyright, appropriation and "borrowing" of ideas are becoming very expensive.
ReplyDeleteThought you might find interesting a Chinese Disneyland, created by the Chinese Government, unauthorised by Disney.
ReplyDeletehttp://trikotomy.livejournal.com/44065.html
The best ideas are always an evolution of an idea someone else came up with. This is human nature to be honest. How many times in life have you been upstaged by someone else doing the same thing you do, but better. The reason is they see where you failed, and work on that. The same principle applies to "new" ideas.
Love this! I definitely think it's a fine line between borrowing and stealing, but i think it's all in how it's done and I always think all credit should go to the person whose idea it was orginally.
ReplyDelete