As a quick intro to this blog entry, we have been asked to review/respond to one of the readings we were previously assigned. As an added bonus this blog is also available in a downloadable epub format, thus making it available for reading on the go.
Downloadable here: ePub.
Lawrence Lessig‘s book The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World (pictured below) provided me with new insights into how content is controlled and subject to regulation, often impinging on creativity. I was unaware of the extent to which it remains the decision of the lawyers as to whether or not items can be used in filming. While I understand the need for legal control, potentially saving costly lawsuits down the line, it seems absurd that creative thinkers are hindered so dramatically. As a creative writer myself, the lack of control over one’s own work strikes a chord.
Having thus far only read the introduction, titled ‘‘Free’’ (3-16), Lessig introduces a variety of points. He emphasises the changes and advancements in technology over the last decade or so, something he also talks about in the video below and critiques how the internet and its content are being regulated ‘An environment designed to enable the new is being transformed to protect the old’ (7). Continue reading