Blog #9 Lawrence Lessig's Remix

First, describe what you see as Lessig's key argument in the Introduction. 


"Permission is vital, legally"... This is the key phrase that is repeated throughout the introduction. As Lessig discusses the examples of how the legality of many situations in todays music and creative society are technically right, but at the same time, this legal restraints seem outdated and unproductive, unless you are the lawyers defending the multimillion dollar companies that own the rights. Lessig's overall argument of the introduction is that modern technology is changing the way in which people interact in a creative sense, especially in the music sense, and as this interaction becomes increasingly easier, it is important to look at both the impact and the "damage" this new form of creation is causing. 


Second, describe the difference RW and RO culture and why it matters to Lessig's argument. 


RW stands for "read/Write" culture. RO stands for "Read/Only" culture. According to Lessig, the difference between these two cultures is the interaction from the person accessing the work. In a RW culture, the person reads, or listens, to the music, but in a RO culture, there is merely consumption of the creative work. 




Third, why does Lessig use Sousa?


Lessig used Sousa as an example because of his take on creativity and culture. Sousa believed that the shift in more people creating new works would prohibit others from being able to create truly great works. The principle behind copyrights, according to Sousa, was to allow the professionals a chance to be creative, instead of suppressed. Overall Sousa believed in an extremist view that every form of culture should be regulated. Lessig puts this view in the beginning of his book in order to provide the reader with a broad spectrum, through which all a opinions should be based, as the we read we must keep both sides of the arguments in mind in order to fully understand the issue at hand.