Post by Jose Saez on Oct 5, 2004 11:55:13 GMT -5
New UK copyright licence to enable "remix culture"
By Adam Pasick, UK media correspondent
LONDON (Reuters) - A new flexible form of copyright for creative material is set to launch in Britain next month, at a time when "remix culture" is gaining in popularity despite the fact it is often illegal.
Creative Commons, a U.S. based non-profit foundation, has created a copyright licence that lets musicians and authors decide what limits to put on their creations -- enabling DJs, for example, to remix music legally.
Traditional copyrights automatically reserve all rights, requiring anyone who wants to use a creation to navigate a convoluted process of lawyers and permissions.
A UK version of the Creative Commons licence will launch on November 1. And the BBC is consulting with the group as it prepares to open its gargantuan archive of audio and video to the public.
Inexpensive software has made it possible for anyone to remix songs or video, and distribute his or her creation on the Internet. But rights holders rarely approve of unauthorised mixes, and in some cases have filed lawsuits to enforce their rights.
The best-known case so far is "The Grey Album" by the UK's DJ Dangermouse, who mixed together the lyrics from rapper Jay-Z's "Black Album" with chopped-up sounds from the Beatles' "White Album." The Beatles' record label EMI went to court to get the album pulled from record store shelves.
The Creative Commons concept has been gaining steam in the United States, Brazil and elsewhere.
Next month's Wired magazine will contain a compact disc, licensed under the Creative Commons, that will let anyone legally remix songs from artists including the Beastie Boys, David Byrne and bossa nova legend Gilberto Gil.
By Adam Pasick, UK media correspondent
LONDON (Reuters) - A new flexible form of copyright for creative material is set to launch in Britain next month, at a time when "remix culture" is gaining in popularity despite the fact it is often illegal.
Creative Commons, a U.S. based non-profit foundation, has created a copyright licence that lets musicians and authors decide what limits to put on their creations -- enabling DJs, for example, to remix music legally.
Traditional copyrights automatically reserve all rights, requiring anyone who wants to use a creation to navigate a convoluted process of lawyers and permissions.
A UK version of the Creative Commons licence will launch on November 1. And the BBC is consulting with the group as it prepares to open its gargantuan archive of audio and video to the public.
Inexpensive software has made it possible for anyone to remix songs or video, and distribute his or her creation on the Internet. But rights holders rarely approve of unauthorised mixes, and in some cases have filed lawsuits to enforce their rights.
The best-known case so far is "The Grey Album" by the UK's DJ Dangermouse, who mixed together the lyrics from rapper Jay-Z's "Black Album" with chopped-up sounds from the Beatles' "White Album." The Beatles' record label EMI went to court to get the album pulled from record store shelves.
The Creative Commons concept has been gaining steam in the United States, Brazil and elsewhere.
Next month's Wired magazine will contain a compact disc, licensed under the Creative Commons, that will let anyone legally remix songs from artists including the Beastie Boys, David Byrne and bossa nova legend Gilberto Gil.
