A) what do you see as the positive and negatives around copyright?
Copyright encourages and discourages people from making new work. It would be impossible not to appreciate others work and be inspired by it, in a world where people can sometimes make the most enjoyable things; like music. The copyright law makes sure that work isn’t stolen or used in ways the creator did not want. Copyright does however have an expiration date of 70 years for music, film and art, or 50 for sound recordings. This is great for original creators as they can own it for most of their lifetime, and also gain whatever profit comes from it. The copyright law also applies to businesses and companies that hire talent or are in the creative business. Workers in these businesses feel safe to produce work as it is under a well-known label that would fight for the ownership of property.
On the other hand, inspiration from other artists should not make people copy an art style, but help them to find their own. This is why copyright is important. Without copyright work can be stole, claimed and profited from. Many frauds have done this to work mainly in music and art, but there are other instances like personal photos and fake profiles which can be very dangerous. Even distorting and changing an image would be classified as illegal under the copyright law.
Unfortunately, as electronics evolve it is harder and harder to depict these copyright laws and even harder to claim rights. Recently, the media on the internet has been reviewed and many think that certain websites should be pay-to-see, as profits are being lost. As this may be good for certain businesses I think it will stop that freedom of what you can view on the internet.
B) is it possible to make anything new?
With all the changing technology it is most definitely possible to make new things. even using old technology or materials there are so many avenues to explore. Buildings, people, architecture , history and so much more. As it is getting harder to create original ideas I feel like people should take extra care regarding the copyright of their creations, or be willing to let them fly around the world wide web.
If character work was influenced by a certain person is it copyright? Is it sharing their personal identity by using their behaviour, looks or personality? Mythical creatures have became one of the best examples of how something can influence a whole world in which other stories, artworks and perspectives are made. Dungeons and dragons, being an imagination based game allowed other games to make up their own characters and landscapes from what was being described,
I think that all work can be used as influence and inspiration as long as no original copy is used, changed or sold under different circumstances. Creators that don’t allow others to expand on their ideas are limiting the creative industry for selfish purposes.
sources:
smallbusniess.chron.com
www.crosswalk.com/blogs