Readings

Creators
This piece had a very interesting message, I was almost completely unaware of the degree of complications with describing who a creator is. I was also unaware of the level of "piracy" that Walt Disney was guilty of. Perhaps the most enthralling issue raised by this article is that of the Japanese Manga market and the competing doujinshi market. To answer some of the questions raised by the author about, I personally do not feel that Japan would benefit from a more strenuous prosecution of doujinshi artist. In fact, I believe that if Japan approached the issue with as much fervor as American legal powers then a very important artistic outlet would be lost. The freedom that the artists are afforded by the lack of legal recourse, I believe, is the reason that Japanese artists today are far exceeding the artistic works of American cartoonists who are stifled by legal barriers.

Pirates
I agree with Lessig in his assertion that all major industries are built from pirating roots and that our generation for some reason thinks that this is bad. One thing that I wish that he spoke to is a possible explanation for this change in opinion. In ancient times imitation was considered the highest form of flattery, and in Greek cultures it wasn't art unless it was a copy or representation of something that already existed. In this case I feel that piracy is a good thing. For today's culture piracy wouldn't be an issue if we weren't so driven to earn money. Everyone wants to get paid, no one wants to just be heard: except on the Internet. Lessing should have included a section on how the Internet is changing the parameters of piracy and the legal ramifications of this new medium.

Digital Speech
I loved this article! I feel that this article picked up where the Lessing "Pirates" chapter left off. Balkin directly addressed how the shift from printed/physical productions to electronic publications has affected our definitions of copyright and free speech. My favorite point of his was when he verbalized how the Internet better illustrated a democratic society to exist. "Digital technologies highlight the cultural and participatory features of freedom of expression." This technology better facilitates a type of equality of persons involved in a democracy devoid of separations based upon class, or sex, or even race that are trodden upon within the "physical" democratic community.