Inspiration, Interpretation or Infringement? Interdisciplinary Approaches to Creativity and Copyright

JULY 4, 2007

Today I’ve been at an interesting ‘mini-conference’ organized by Cambridge University’s Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, entitled: Inspiration, Interpretation or Infringement? Interdisciplinary Approaches to Creativity and Copyright.

The morning session discussed ‘The Nature of the Pirate and the Meanings of Piracy’ while the afternoon was dedicated to ‘The Infringing Act’. The debate is gradually changing but I’m wary that without more attention to the theoretical, and especially, empirical fundamentals these sorts of discussions will grow repetitive.

We all know that there is a trade-off inherent in copyright both at the level of creativity (no monopoly right may deprive people of the means necessary to create while too much may stifle reuse and independent creativity) and at the level of consumption (the monopoly inefficiently restricts access but again may increase the revenue received by creators). The real question we must address is not whether we draw a line but where we draw it.