Week Five Media Blog

Topic One: Freedom of Speech and Copyright Laws

RiP! Uses mashups and real music to teach us about copyright laws. The narrator says, “Whether or not you think this music is original doesn’t matter, the rules of this game don’t depend on who made the song, it depends on who made the copyright. And according to them, using a single note is means for a lawsuit.” Copyright has become an increasingly present thing. Recently on Facebook and Instagram, your videos can be deleted if they contain a song that you don’t have permission to use. That’s right, background music in your car, or a clip of a movie are all means for deletion. I understand the importance of copyright laws and such, but when it comes to things being used in a personal way, I don’t think it needs to be regulated as much. I think it could be cool if singers/songwriters and movie creators shared their work to further explore creativity and mashups.  I think one of my favorite copyright lawsuits is “Ice Ice Baby” v.s. “Under Pressure” These are two incredible songs! I love them both and appreciate them despite their similarities. If Ice Ice Baby was meant to be a slight mashup of Under Pressure, I thinks Vanilla Ice’s creativity is amazing! A quote from a Rolling Stones article about the case, “To anyone with functional eardrums, it's clear that Vanilla Ice's pop-rap crossover hit sampled the bass line to the 1981 Queen/Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure." But Ice famously insisted that the two melodies are distinct because he added a beat between notes. Ice later claimed that this rationale was merely a joke. Representatives for Queen and Bowie weren't laughing and threatened a copyright infringement suit.” This to me, seems a bit too extra. There is time to be upset about copyright and a time it gets out of hand. This was out of hand.

Topic Two: WikiLeaks

I think WikiLeaks can be important, but I also believe in the respect of privacy. I think that the threat of WikiLeaks keeps people aware and accountable for their actions. But I have mixed feelings about it over all. This is something that can help us see the personal lives of our politicians and allow us to see deeper into artists lives. It keeps us updated on the “dirty news” it’s almost like a real life drama site. They leak things like presidential appointments and their tax accounts. They also leak movie trailers and songs and emails from them. I feel free speech is good and it is helpful in allowing people to express themselves. I think that free speech becomes a problem when it begins to put people in danger. It can cause fear and it can be helpful. I believe we need free speech but I also think there needs to be regulation for our safety.