People ask me why I copyright my work if I do not believe in that system (I deplore the system.) For the simple reason, if I do not someone else might. And if no one does, my estate may get the rights, which means my wicked, capitalist children might get the rights. Or even worse, one of my many ex-wives, somehow!
To destroy the IPR system, we must enter it and infect it with freedom and bring it down. Gain all IPR all the time and then open source your IPR, trademarks, patents and copyrights. Or else...
Fritz Eichenberg used to make his art work available free to any Catholic Worker publication when he was alive. Since he has passed on, his artistic estate is being managed by an intellectual property firm named VAGA: Visual Artists and Galleries Association, Inc. They do not share Eichenberg's philosophy and will charge you an arm and a leg to reproduce his work if you decide to contact them — even for nonprofit, non-commercial use. It's sad, really, and we would hope that some generous benefactor would buy the rights to Eichenberg's Catholic Worker pieces and donate them to the Catholic Worker Archives so that they might be publicly and freely available for non-commercial use as he had intended.
Far from protecting his rights, VAGA is suppressing Fritz's art. As Dorothy Day said, "Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy rotten system"
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
To destroy the IPR system, we must enter it and infect it with freedom and bring it down. Gain all IPR all the time and then open source your IPR, trademarks, patents and copyrights. Or else...
Fritz Eichenberg used to make his art work available free to any Catholic Worker publication when he was alive. Since he has passed on, his artistic estate is being managed by an intellectual property firm named VAGA: Visual Artists and Galleries Association, Inc. They do not share Eichenberg's philosophy and will charge you an arm and a leg to reproduce his work if you decide to contact them — even for nonprofit, non-commercial use. It's sad, really, and we would hope that some generous benefactor would buy the rights to Eichenberg's Catholic Worker pieces and donate them to the Catholic Worker Archives so that they might be publicly and freely available for non-commercial use as he had intended.
Far from protecting his rights, VAGA is suppressing Fritz's art. As Dorothy Day said, "Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy rotten system"
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
1 comments:
John,
While you've always stood up against IPR, and I agree with your position, this is the first time I'm hearing you tell us that we *should* secure IPR. I understand your reasoning. However, I did not intend to get a patent for the product I'm developing (bag/luggage) for the reasons you've taught in your course. The main one being that I'll keep redesigning and that competitors can easily work around a patent with their new design. Both lead to the patent being outdated. So, should I still get one just to prevent others from getting one and using it offensively?
-sash
Post a Comment