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Freedom of Expression (book)

Freedom of Expression (book)

Freedom of Expression is a book written by Kembrew McLeod about freedom of speech issues involving concepts of intellectual property . The book was first published in 2005 by Doubleday as Freedom of Expression®: overzealous Copyright Bozos and Other Enemies of Creativity , and in 2007 by University of Minnesota Press as Freedom of Expression®: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property . The paperback edition includes a foreword by Lawrence Lessig. The author recounts a history of the use of counter-cultural artistry, illegal art, and the use of copyrighted works in art as a form of fair use and creative expression. The book encourages the reader to continue such uses in art and other forms of creative expression.

The book received a positive reception and the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association awarded McLeod with the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award, which honors the “best published work in the area of ​​intellectual freedom”. A review in The American Scholar said that McLeod “… delivers a lively, personal account of the ways of intellectual property with people-and-how with masses of intellectual property.” American Book Review said the work is “a compendium of examples” for those familiar with its subject matter. The Journal of Popular Culturecalled it “an informative, thought-provoking, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny examination of specific ways the privatization of ideas suppresses creativity in contemporary culture.” Publishers Weekly said that McLeod’s views first comments about intellectual property by academics-including Lessig.

Background

Certificate of Registration for “Freedom of Expression” from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (1998)

McLeod first published the book as a compilation of writings in magazine format. [1] [2] Freedom of Expression was first published in book by Doubleday as Freedom of Expression: Overzealous Copyright Bozos and Other Enemies of Creativity , [3] [4] and in 2007 by University of Minnesota Press Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property . [5] [6] The 2005 edition of the book was made available by a Creative Commonslicense. [7]

The Media Education Foundation released a DVD documentary film in 2007 featuring McLeod, Jeremy Smith, Sut Jhally , and Jeremy Earp. [8] [9] The documentary was narrated by Naomi Klein and included interviews with Lessig, Siva Vaidhyanathan -a University of Virginia Academic in Media Studies; Inga Chernyak-co-founder of Free Culture at New York University and Mark Hosler of Negativland . [9]

Contents

Kembrew McLeod (2010)

In Freedom of Expression® , Kembrew McLeod discusses the concept of freedom of expression on cultural norms and the way in which society allows corporations to influence discourse. [10] McLeod discusses his own pranks, such as his 1998 registration of the phrase “freedom of expression” as a trademark. [10] In 1998, he registered the phrase “Freedom of Expression” as a trademark of the United States, [11] [12] [13] and said that it would be effective. McLeod said, “If the ACLU wanted to put it on a magazine with [the] title Freedom of Expression, They Would Have to pay me royalties. ” [2]After the telecommunications company AT & T used the sentence During a campaign marketing, McLeod’s attorney sent a cease and desist letter to request That AT & T stop using His trademarked sentence. [10] In His book Owning Culture: Authorship, Ownership, and Intellectual Property Law , McLeod said that his intention with the publication of “Freedom of Expression” was to initiate social commentary in the media, saying, “I would like the news story itself to be the social commentary. ” [13] The trademarked phrase subsequently fell back into the public domain. [11]

McLeod also discusses the history of counter-cultural artistry, recounting episodes such as Dadaist art styles and an incident in which Vanna White initiated a lawsuit against a robot likeness for copyright infringement. [14] He explores the concept of fair use and encourages the reader to use copyrighted works in alternative forms of artwork. [14] He also gives a history of the song ” Happy Birthday to You “, information about the music industry’s use of sampling, and discusses illegal art. [7]McLeod said that the threat of a lawsuit is a requirement of current criminal activity, and these threats against artistry and creativity can be overcome through determination. [14]

Reception

In 2006, the Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) -a committee of the American Library Association (ALA) -awarded McLeod the Eli Oboler Memorial Award, [15] [16] which recognized the “best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. ” [17] Fred Stielow commented, “McLeod captures the growing switch from a balanced compromise between the creator’s rights and public access.” In its place, the author wittily exposes to a stifling shift of the law of an instrument of commercial interests. ” [15] McLeod was the recipient of the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award in 2006. [18]

In a review of the book for the American Scholar , Siva Vaidhyanathan of New York University wrote that MacLeod “… delivers a lively, personal account of the ways of intellectual property with people-and-how” [10] ] and that, “McLeod is ironic and witty, writing with a hip-hop-influenced youth-savvy diction that demonstrates his confidence and commitment to the material and the culture that means so much to him.” [10] Davis Schneiderman wrote Positively of the work in a review for American Book Review , [14] Comparing it to similar works on the subject matter, IncludingNo Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (2000) by Naomi Klein, and writings by Michael Moore and Al Franken . [14]

A review by Eric Anderson of Bowling Green State University in the Journal of Popular Culture The author’s book of interviews with the book, writing that it “… shines with McLeod’s broad use of interviews … [he] records and reports the The incorporation of these interviews, demonstrating as they are specific examples of creativity obstructed in specific ways, is this book’s most important contribution. ” [7] Anderson said the book is “an informative, thought-provoking, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny examination of specific ways the privatization of ideas suppresses creativity in contemporary culture.” [7]Anderson mentions McLeod’s and the book’s publisher’s uncommon tactic of making the book freely available through a Creative Commons license. [7]

Published in the United States of America, United States of America, United States, United States McLeod’s tactics of following the phrase “as a satire of Fox Network “, ” fair and balanced ” as a trademark. [19] The reviewer wrote, “While McLeod’s arguments are not original, his entertaining examples and punctuation were nicely amplified by the increasing number of intellectual property scholars, such as Lawrence Lessig.” [19]The reviewer said of the author’s tone, “Although he evokes dark, almost Orwellian images throughout, McLeod drives an upbeat spin, citing the ‘egalitarian’ nature of the new technologies and a growing awareness of the need to return to a place where ‘freedom of expression ‘is once again’ a meaningful concept that guides our political, social and creative lives. ‘” [19]