In Defense of Piracy

“But while writers with words have had the freedom to quote since time immemorial, ‘writers’ with digital technology have not yet earned this right.” In his article, Lessig addresses the over-protective nature of digital technology industries. As an example, he cites the work of the mash-up artist, Girl Talk. I personally am a huge Girl Talk fan. I believe he has amazing talent as a DJ (though he ardently claims not to be a DJ). While his work is inarguably derivative, the resulting whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Moreover, Greg Gillis (aka Girl Talk), does not claim to have produced the original songs he combines to make his mash-up hits. If anything, the original artists whose songs he samples should be honored. I believe that “piracy” should be considered legitimate if the so-called pirate successfully builds on the original work, or the pirate has no intentions of generating profit from their version. For example, Girl Talk should be required to acknowledge the original writers of the songs he samples. However, since his creations are obviously original in their own right, he should be in control of his own intellectual property. Those that sample the works of others without the desire to profit, on the other hand, should not be required to acknowledge the original owners at all. The Stephanie Lenzes of the world should be able to freely upload videos of their toddlers dancing to Prince songs without the living in fear of being prosecuted by the record companies’ hyperactive litigation teams.