Copyright (Patreon)

There's a documentary I'd recommend (actually I did) RIP A Remix Manifesto. It's about Copyright and its effects on Remix Culture as well as just the world's culture. Despite being made in 2009, much of it's still relevant to the modern world, and its stories of ordinary people being taken to court over downloading music need to be preserved, for its what companies did for a decade with no consequence.

The best part however is you don't need to buy the film, the entirety of it is on Youtube uploaded by its publisher the NFB for free.

The film features hundreds of clips from movies, bits of songs, and images from magazines and journalists, and all of it is neatly kept by the rule of Fair Use.

The law that's supposed to do for film and music what writers have been allowed to for centuries.

Quote.

Playwrites. Scripture. Political Figures.

Anybody and anything.

However, it's a federal case whether you can quote music, film, or television.

Or is it?

The NFB's film features remixed music that almost certainly hasn't been cleared by the music rights holders, yet it's allowed to be sold for money on the shelves, and streamed for free on Youtube.

Yet, if I try that, I'm getting claimed.

Or am I?

You see, this is the problem with Copyright Law. Recently, I've been claimed by Sony for using ten seconds of Ghost in the Shell's opening theme, the theme that plays during the introduction I show on-screen. I'm not just throwing the track on with no relevance, I am directly quoting the film and its audio to make a point which I'm legally allowed to do.

That's what gets me claimed.

The songs used in the same video that I haven't cleared and likely don't fall into fair use?

Youtube doesn't care.

The problem with Copyright Law, is that it's a law that can't be enforced. Every single one of us on the platform has been a thief at some point in the process, but the only time you're called a thief is when a collection of robots have determined so, and are very often wrong.

I don't know what the solution is. I don't even those at YT, and I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, but the issues they're navigating, only exist because the world's Governments and Laws, despite having computers and the internet for decades, are still operating like we're primarily using record players and newspaper ads.