Remix

First, a disclaimer: despite going to law school, I know very little about intellectual property or copyright law, although the field has always fascinated me. My curiosity is particularly heightened right now, since I'm reading Lawrence Lessig's Remix.

I'm only halfway through the book, but Lessig begins by discussing the difference between "RO" and "RW" culture. Essentially, a ''Read Only" culture is one in which culture is consumed in a static manner: think about reading a book or watching a television program. To contrast, a "Read Write" culture is one in which people "read" culture and then "add to the culture they read by creating and re-creating the culture around them." For example, think of the millions of online satires on Youtube, where people splice together videos from different sources to make a point. Some of the examples that Lessig employs are the Bush/Blair parody and the music of DJ Girl Talk.

I guess, in a way, this blog is a wee foray into the RW culture: juxtaposing passages that I'm reading/have read with other things that strike my fancy. It never occurred to me that I was engaging in RW culture, but what a fascinating concept...

Addendum: You can download a free version of Remix here!

Addendum 2: A fascinating article on Remix culture and authorship here.