Through education and advocacy, the Creative Freedom Foundation seeks to encourage, and promote New Zealand artist's views on issues that have the potential to influence their collective creativity. Read more about our goals →
This cartoon is NOT copyright by Dylan Horrocks '09
As the natural world meets the digital
opportunities are opening up for artists to connect with people across the world.
The Creative Freedom Foundation encourages and facilitates discussion, provides education, and seeks to answer emerging questions around issues that have the potential to influence New Zealand artists' creativity.
TechLiberty have posted Flowcharts for the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Bill: “Chris Esther has created some useful flowcharts that help explain some of the processes included in the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Bill. He has very kindly allowed us to repost them here.”
Marking the 10th Anniversary of both Australia’s DMCA equivalent The Digital Agenda Act 2000, and The Moral Rights Act 2000, this ABC discussion on moral rights and digital rights for artists is well worth a read or listen.
“Artists in particular are tetchy about their creations. Understandably they don’t want the meaning of their works twisted or distorted. And of course they don’t want others to reproduce their work without permission. But with everything being online these days, what tangible rights do artists have? Should they just go with the digital flow, or should they use all the legal weapons available to them?”
The discussion between interviewer Damien Carrick, Professor Matthew Rimmer of ANU Law School, and Brent Salter, legal academic at Macquarie University Law School covers issues ranging from Michael Palin and Monty Python’s response to various copyright situations, the YouTube vs Viacom dispute (recently won by YouTube), and several interesting case studies of moral rights disputes in Australian theatre.
Colin Jackson writes on his blog that “There’s a great New Zealand film called “Boy” – it’s a coming of age tale with a uniquely New Zealand flavour to it. It’s been in the cinemas here for three months, and it’s gone down very well. I’m probably not telling you anything you didn’t know, because the film has been well-promoted. I think I saw that it was now the highest-grossing New Zealand movie ever. Well done to Taika Waititi and every one else involved.
Presented at this year’s TED conference, this talk by Johanna Blakely on lessons that other creative industries can learn from fashion’s lack of copyright protection is well worth the watch. From the YouTube post: “Copyright law’s grip on film, music and software barely touches the fashion industry … and fashion benefits in both innovation and sales, says Johanna Blakley. At TEDxUSC 2010, she talks about what all creative industries can learn from fashion’s free culture.”
The PDF of her talk can be found on her project website: Ready to Share. “The Ready to Share project explores the fashion industry’s enthusiastic embrace of sampling, appropriation and borrowed inspiration, core components of every creative process.”
Food for thought…
Select Committee submissions on the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill — the former s92A — are due this Thursday 17 June. The bill can be read here and information on how to make a submission is here.
Of course, we will be making a submission based on feedback we’ve been getting from members. Let us know if you’ve got something to add by contacting us, or commenting on this post.
Stuff.co.nz has a story about the popular YouTube parodies involving Hitler: “One of YouTube’s most beloved parodies is facing extinction, with countless Adolf Hitler Downfall clips vanishing from the popular video site in recent days. Constantin Film, which has judged many of the comic clips an infringement of its copyright. Online rights advocates say that fair use provisions in many countries such as the US were created to allow some copyrighted material to be used for purposes such as satire or parody.” Among copyright experts there’s little doubt that if this went to court the Fair Use defense would win but the United State’s DMCA allows preemptive removal of content regardless of whether it’s considered free speech.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) have released the negotiating text of ACTA [PDF]. While MED were previously more involved MFAT are now leading the NZ negotiations.
Analysis of the text to follow later today.
According to the provisional order paper the new s92A formally titled the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendent Bill is being debated tomorrow (Tuesday) and you can watch it live online at Parliament TV or on TV at Freeview 22, Sky 94, or TelstraClear 94.
CW Magazine reports that due to public pressure the text of ACTA is to be made public next week, saying: “A controversial plan to crack down on online piracy and counterfeiting will be opened up to public scrutiny for the first time next week [...] Negotiations over the past two years have been conducted in secret. Leaks of the draft text have sparked a public outcry, mainly because of how the text deals with online copyright infringement [...] they don’t plan to reveal their individual negotiating positions”
