ruh ruh ruh ruh ruh remix, baby.

     This week in class we have been discussing the tangled web of copyright laws and what consititutes as plagarism. For several examples and our "youtube moment for the day" we have looked at videos that have been remixed into a song. These videos are usually news stories that have been auto tuned and put to a melody and formed ino a song. The "song/story" that we are most infatuated with is the remix of the Antwon Dodson News Story. This auto-tune remix has become a national phenemenon and is even offered on iTunes. Based on our opinions and arguements you can decide for yourself if this constitutes as plagarism or a violation of copyright laws.

Christina-

Personally, I love this video. A lot. I think that it's just really funny. Not to sound like a total wierd-o but it actually kind of has a good beat to it. I think that it is also appealing to my sense of humor because of the things he is actually saying. "Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, 'cause he's rapin' errbody out there." Yes, the actual news story is somewhat sad and pathetic, but it is pretty humerous that he said these things on national television for everyone to see. When put to the melody of a song, it just brings the piece to life and truly makes people want to sing along. Now, I think that some news anchors and possibly Dodson himself could argue that the creators of this piece are breaking these laws, especially if they didn't have Dodson's or the news channlel's permission to use the story. You can decide that for yourself, i personally love it.

Alyse-

The hit YouTube sensation featuring Antoine Dodson was one of the first I had ever seen of its kind. The trend however, is picking up very fast. The Gregory Brothers did an excellent job executing this video. They put this hilarious news cast to a catchy beat and repeated the good parts over and over. Mr. Spruill has taught us in class that The Gregory Brothers are a legitimate band that has a real talent and are very well educated. However, the hilarious words and actions in this video were all Antoine Dodson. Without the news cast this video would be nothing. They may be making the money off this hit, but they are not getting the fame. Far more people know the Name Antoine Dodson than know who The Gregory Brothers are. Although this is an act of plagiarism, i don't see anyone complaining. The Greggory brothers are paying Dodson some of what they earn, and without the Gregory brothers, Dodson wouldn't have all this fame right now. So in a way, this act of plagiarism helped Dodson and his family.

Rachael- The Internet sensation Antoine Dodson who's news story got auto tuned by The Gregory Brothers is a big success. I actually enjoy the video and think it's just for entertainment purposes only. I understand that it's against copyright towards the news station that recorded the broadcast, but they are getting publicity within the creation of the "Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife" infamous video. The trend of this video is growing quickly on YouTube and I don't think it's for a serious matter. YouTube is a mothership of entertainment for viewers, and the video is solely used for entertainment purposes only. From Auto tuned videos like the annoying "Friday" song by Rebecca Black video, to the "Backin Up" video also by the genius Gregory Brothers this just shows that the auto tuned video trend is growing and the Antoine Dodson video help pilot this fad.

Paige-
In class we watch a lot of youtube videos, some videos maybe originals and some are videos which make fun of others. Antoine Dobson’s has became famous when he was interviewed for a local news cast which became a youtube sensation, but what actually made him famous was when a band called The Gregory Brothers made a song out of his interview. They incorporated his interview with a beat and remixed it a bit; I do not see this as copy writing at all. I believe that they took a simple interview and mixed it up to come up with a very interesting song which has become a youtube hit all around the world. Without the Gregory Brothers making this song Antoine Dobson would not be nearly as famous as he is today. I believe that Dobson should actually be impressed with the Gregory Brothers work and see it as a helpful to getting him famous because even though the interview was funny without the work of the Gregory Brothers it would not of been as much of a hit as it is today. In a form it is copywriting because it was the guys words which he said and was recorded, but I believe he should not be mad about it because it has in fact helped him. Copyright is very complicated thing to understand completely a lot of things can be considered copyrighting but in this situation I do not believe this should be called copyrighting.

TCM, Total Copyright Move.....We're copyrighting that.

Alyse-
The History of copyright law vastly expanded since it was first enacted. Originally it was only for authors of published books so that people could not copy their work. The laws are now universally excepted and extend to almost anything that is originally yours. With the technology we have today and the growing trend of remixing songs and videos, copyright laws are being violated more and more. I feel that although these things are plagiarism and most of the time copyright infringements also, it is getting to where it would be virtually impossible to regulate. People constantly upload videos on YouTube and other video sites that contain other peoples music or videos. It typically isn't an issue until the video begins to get popular. Only prosecuting the popular videos is not fair, and it would be almost impossible to reprimanded everyone who violates copyright in this way.


Rachael-

This history suggests that copyright has grown over a substantial amount of time. Copyright only applied to books and today it now applies to things that are as silly as words coming out of a person’s mouth. Motivations behind copyright laws are people having their creativity robbed from them, you don’t want to create a big masterpiece and then have someone steal your idea and take credit for it do you?  The motives do problematize our understanding of copyright as a moral issue. Not only because of the time and effort you put into something, but things you create are dear to you and you don’t want that swept out from under your feet.

Our ability to manipulate things with technology means for the future of copyright that laws should be more constricted. It’s too easy to take a video, perhaps like the Evolution Of Dance, and remake that and call it a parody. It would be different if the person that did the parody asked the original artist if they could take their work and remake it, but to do it without permission is downright disrespectful. I think it shapes our concepts of plagiarism and makes a more define clear line of whether it’s just students being lazy and not writing their own papers, and students stealing people’s work because their plotting against them.


Paige-
When copyright law was first made, it was only for the protection of books. In those times books were the main source of information which therefore was a reason to protect what was found inside these books. Later in time the protection further to translations and derivative. Now days, almost everything can be copyrighted, or automattically is protected by the laws established. These new limitations and new rules for copyrighting has been established by Berne Convention and also the European copyright directives. Even though most countries have these established laws the jurisdictions are different. In some countries copyrighting is a moral disrespect and in others it is just considered steal amoung people.

Christina-
What they said... Just kidding. But really. I know that copyright laws used to be so specific that it was fairly simple to regulate since hard copies of books were really the only things around to worry about stealing. Now-a-days, EVERYTHING can be copyrighted. For example, Paris Hilton had 'her' phrase "That's Hot" copyrighted. I guarantee that she was not the first person to utter those words in that respective order. That extremity is a little stupid. However I think that other things, like music are completely normal to copyright. If I were a musician and wrote a great song, and someone copied it and took it as their own and made millions, I would be kind of pissed. However, with all of the new modern ways to change something using technology, a tiny minor change could be made to a song so that they weren't 'exactly the same.' Yes, many You Tube videos could be seen as plagiarism and infringing copyright laws, but now it is too hard to even catch when someone breaks those laws. My personal opinion? If the information 'copied' isn't used to someone else's benefit and used without some sort of credit, then what's the hurt? After all, imitation is the biggest form of flattery.

Creative Blog Post #3

As a group we have discussed the pros and cons of sweat shop labor. We feel that they are not ideal in any country but closing them down is not the solution. We think that the fait trade movement is a great way to drastically improve sweat shop conditions. Doing things like hiring more workers so that the shifts would not be as long, as well as improving work conditions and raising pay will all help to make these exploited workers live better.

 

The people that work in these sweat shops aren't stupid. They might not know what an ideal work situation is (if one exists), but I'm almost positive that they have a frim idea of how they should and shouldn't be working. People know and udnerstand that type of treatment isn't acceptable and shouldn't be agreed with. I understand that these workers are just thankful to have a job and all, but treating them like glorified slaves isn't the answer. Regardless of the job, or shop, these workers are human beings and should be treated as such.

We all feel that as consumers we should have the responsibility to know how and where our clothes are being manufactured. However, to many people, it would be a huge inconvenience to track where everything they buy is being produced. No company would ever put a tag on a garment that said, “Made in a sweat shop.” It is a big hassle to try and research where our clothes come from. In order to boycott buying all goods that are made in sweatshops you would have to do extensive research. This would also cut out many of the cheaper options in today’s society and your everyday life would probably cost a lot more. It is better to be aware of sweat shops, and find alternative clothing stores or clothing within the shopping market that you know for a fact, by research, that manufactures, produces and sells clothes that stayed within the same company. If all sweatshops were shut down, clothes would become more expensive. Although people care, we feel like people would be in an uproar if there was that much inflation all at one time. Even if we were to stop shopping at stores whom run their business with the help of sweat shops, it would not make much of a difference; because they will still be around no matter if the four of us were to stop shopping at these establishment, others would continue. The people that work inside of sweat shops don't know any different because that is the environment they are used too. For some, that is what they grew up around and have been surrounded by for years. If the shops were to close down, hundreds of people would be out of a job, which would cause even more problems for the people who work inside of the sweat shops.

     Yes, the thought of children making our clothes in sweatshops is haunting. However, that is the cultures way of life. These people don't have the job opportunities that Americans have. Other cultures don't know any other way of life, they just want to make a good home for their families. In America we do the same thing, only we have SO many more opportunities to make a decent living, and in better conditions. I don't think the real argument is about the keeping or doing away with of sweat shops because it it very clear that those companies are a staple in those culture's economy. The argument that seems to present itself is the bettering of sweatshop conditions and how they can be a little bit more accommodating in physical aspects and monetary aspects as well. 

Remember when...

Ahh the glory days of learning how to read. Do you remember your first Cat in the Hat, or maybe Junie B. Jones book? This marks an important stage in a little one's life. Here are our stories.


Paige- My parents always strived for me to learn how to read and write at a young age. They were always reading me books at night before bed, my older brother also would read to me at times. My first memory of reading is a time when my parents thought I could actually read, when in reality I had the book memorized. Eventually they saw that I had the book completely upside down and was just saying the story outloud because I had it memorized already. When in Kindergarden I remember my teacher always making us sit down and have story time with the other kids. This was a time when you got your favorite book and sat somewhere in the room and read for a period of time, this was always hard for me considering I would much rather talk and play than read even as a young child. Reading is very important no matter what age you are, and no matter what profession you are in. Without my family and teachers throughout the years I would not be in college today. Learning to read and write is a huge right of passage in everyone's life. It is something you will remember for as long as you live.


Christina- Honestly, I can't say that I remember the exact moment I learned how to read. Although, I do remember the early stages of my newfound skill. I remember reading the books with the "dots", or the Accelerated Reading program. Passing a test and moving on to the next level of dots was the most rewarding feeling. The feeling of success and triumph motivated me to keep reading and excelling at this task. At the time I didn't really think of reading as a building block to my future, simply because kids don't think those thoughts when they are 10 years old, but it is so true. I tried to imagine what life would be like if learning how to read was optional, or left up to our parents. As much as I would like to think that all kids would still learn how to read under those conditions, lets be real; they wouldn't. This is going to sound so cheesy, but I guess all I can say is that I'm so thankful that I grew up in an environment where our teachers taught us how to read, and I lived in a home where my parents supported me. If not for these circumstances, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog because I wouldn't be in college. Haha Okay that was a bit dramatic, but I didn't want to end my section of the blog like an Oscar awards speech.

Alyse- I remember always thinking before i could read how it seemed impossible that i would ever be able to read. It just seemed so hard to me. My parents were always reading to me before i could read, and encouraging me to read more and challenge myself. When i went to kindergarten and started learning even more letters and words and really figuring out how to read, it was the greatest feeling on Earth. When i was younger i was constantly reading,i took a book with me everywhere. Not only was reading a big accomplishment, but in elementary school, reading your first chapter book was something to brag about. I never realized then how lucky i was to have the parents and schooling that allowed and encouraged me to read at such a young age, at the time it just seemed like a really fun, cool thing to do. I didn't know that Junie B. Jones was going to prepare me for high school and college, but if i wouldn't have had the opportunities i did to learn to read then, who know where i would be today.


Rachael:
I remember the first time that I began to start reading. I was in first grade and I was sitting in a yellow bean bag and I was in my own corner. I don't remember the book, but I remember that I was trying to make out what the words said. I finally began to comprehend the words that were on the page. I was so excited because I finally read through a whole book. I remember being six years old and being so engulfed in the book that the teacher had to basically pry the book ot of my hands because we had to move onto the next subject in the class. It was an awesome experience because I finally had acomplished how to read!

Learning to read was a very different experience for everyone, yet we all have many similarities. We all were privileged enough to go to school from the age of five. We all had the desire to learn how to read. Most of us wanted to read so bad that we even pretended to read at one point or another. All of our parents read to us from a young age, and helped us develop our reading skills. All of our parents greatly influence and supported us in our journey to learn how to read. Great kindergarten and first grade teachers also made a huge difference in our ability to read and write. With out those people and the privileges we had growing up we would not have the reading skills we have today.