The article that Lessig wrote was one about the way that big businesses use laws and basically money and power in their favor to get paid for having the copyright laws on certain things. The example that was given was about a man that had made a small film and in that film had a clip of an episode of the simpsons playing on a TV in the background. Just to be sure he contacted the creator of the show to ask if it was ok to show the clip in his show, the creator said that it was fine but to talk to the higher ups than him. The climb up the ladder of getting permission to show the clip landed him at the door of Fox television company. They charged him 10,000 dollars to use a four second clip of the simpson show. And it was partly the law, and partly the fact that fox is a billion dollar company basically bullied the man into not being able to put that clip in his show and having to change things at the last minute.
Tags: Response
April 8, 2009 at 2:03 pm |
I will have to agree with Davis on this topic. I can understand wanting to capitalize on your own idea or invention. This documentary was not trying to profit from a four second clip of the Simpson’s, he was just following the law so he would not be sued later.