It’s been a while since we’ve met, lots of copyright in the news!  Anyone want to present?

rachel

it was impossible not to think about the post on Copycense the other day about Girl Talk and race/class issues while watching the film and then, more acutely, during the Q&A after the film.  It was interesting to me that in the post-film discussion Dave Allen seemed reluctant to let the conversation come around explicitly to questions of race and class.  It seems undeniable to me that Gregg Gillis’s status as a white, middle-class dude loved by a lot of other white, middle-class dudes is a factor in the whole “why hasn’t girl talk been sued/issued cease-and-desists/whatever?” question.  it’s obviously not the ONLY factor but it’s equally obviously a factor.  and this is deeply problematic for a number of reasons – most of which are addressed eloquently in the Copycense editorial so I’ll leave that for now.

The filmmaker, Kembrew McLeod, took a little heat during the discussion/Q&A about what wasn’t included in the film, specifically much discussion of the actual law, and for not being more explicit about the “message” of the film.  I actually think both of those things were real strengths of the movie.  By skipping the law lesson and producing a film rich with beats and stories, the filmmakers have managed to make a movie about intellectual property that is never boring, never pedantic.  Letting the music and musicians tell the story connects us to the way that IP policy directly shapes the creative process instead of just telling us about it.  And a side effect of that is that we’re left a little unsettled at the end because we don’t have a voice-over telling us what to think.  Instead we see these questions of appropriation, collage, etc as the complex questions they really are.   I really can hardly wait to see the final cut of the film, which McLeod says will draw even more upon the collage aesthetic to tell this story.

Best moment?  I’ve got to vote for the cut to Chuck D.’s response to Judge Duffy’s “Thou shalt not steal” verdict in the Biz Markie case-

“How country is that?”

indeed.

The video will be screened in library room 17, I’ll put up signs but you can also ask at the desk when you walk into the library and they will give you directions to the room.  We will gather at 7:00pm and start the video shortly thereafter.

-Rachel

Possible topics include:

• the Shepard Fairey/Associate Press Obama image brouhaha
• the Google Books settlement
• maybe the Facebook terms-of-service thing
• a little announcement about CASH music…

Hope to see a bunch of you there!!!

The details:

7:30pm Wednesday the 28th
Produce Row Cafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/produce-row-cafe-portland)
204 SE Oak St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 232-8355

Produce Row is a new location for us but I have extremely high hopes. It’s a great place and they’re willing to set aside some tables for us if I call ahead! Hurray!!

I hope to see you all there!

-Rachel