Re: collage (was:FNV-RIAA IS CRACKING DOWN)

[Edward_Chang@mail.amsinc.com]

>>Hi Edward , I don`t think collage techniques could be regarded as theft ,
because you are not stealing/using the product but the IMAGE of it. You are
using pictures of it.
Or in the case of that torched Mac-keyboard , Mac`s product lies in the
performance of the machine the technology , the reliability etc.  That
artist wasn`t using Macintosh to boost his own similar product. At least
thats what I think.........

Yours , Thomas
<<<


Whoa...Wed morning, pre-coffee mode and I find the most blisteringly
attention-grabbing  discussion on this list on a while....
Thomas, I'd consider "image" on a visual sense on par with "image" in an
audio sense, so I don't see a real distinction.  Sampling a 5 second sound
source from a commercially available CD is analagous to clipping out a
corner of a Lichtenstein (haha!) poster and using that in a piece of
"otherwise original" art and making and selling posters.  As far as the
performance of a Mac being a selling point, I think the designers and
marketing people had a creative "artistic" hand in its final appearance.
Commercial art is a creative art form and so I could assume that again my
artist friend was "stealing" from a commercial artist's design.
Being a "self-aggrandizing outlaw composer", I've released recordings with
uncleared samples.  I haven't read the Fair Use laws, but my personal sense
of ethics is satisfied from the fact that, tho I used a 5 second Snow White
sample, there's no way that any Disney fan would divert their disposable
income from a Disney purchase to one of my releases.  Anyways, no use
preaching to the converted, it seems.

I hate to waste bandwidth but this reminds me of an article I read about
Lejaren Hiller, the computer music composer who died a couple years ago.
He had planned to write a program which would produce every combination and
permutation of diatonic harmony and melody in 4/4 in a 3 1/2 minute time
length with only major and minor chords, etc...  He wanted to then print
out all these scores and then send them out to get copyrighted.  You see,
he HATED rock and roll, and theorized that copyright infringement would
enable him to put a stop to it....  I'm not sure it couldn't work...