Benkler

I like reading. It is probably the activity I have engaged in the most throughout my life. When I read books written for wide distribution, I usually can understand them. So when I start reading, it is my expectation that I will be able to join in on the conversation. This was not the case with Yochai Benkler's book entitled The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. As I read, I tried to follow what he was saying but found myself researching the concept he was discussing more than reading the book. I say this so that if I am off on what I say, you will know it is because I may not have understood what I was reading. I will also confess that I have never taken an economics course nor really engaged with the subject expect at a very basic level.

After reading the first few chapters, I think the thing that I liked the most was the explanation on the peer production and sharing. As a person who participated in SETI@home, I was excited to see referenced other projects that used small personal computers to create a super computer. I know from our family’s experience with SETI@home, it was something that created in our home a connection to our family’s love of astronomy. All we had to do was leave our computer on when we were not using it. The program did the rest. It never slowed the computer down. There was no inconvenience in assisting with the project to find extraterrestrial life. Like Benkler said in chapter 3, we felt good about what we were doing to advance the field of science studying radio waves. I think the bigger picture was if a regular radio wave pattern was to be found, it just might be found from the computations completed on our computer. The idea was just too good to not participate. 

The second idea I would like to discuss is free software. When I first heard about people giving away programs they had spend hours writing, I wanted to know what the catch was, and then, felt guilty because I felt I should contribute something. At some level, I felt there was something wrong with this business model. Now, using free software is an everyday occurrence. Moodle is free software that Western moved to using exclusively soon after I came to Western. We switched because we could save money as a university and because the program met the needs of everyone on campus. When something doesn’t work as expected within the program, it is often still under development. This does not mean the program is not functional it just means that some of the bells still need to be tuned.   

The thing with free software is ,as Benkler points out in chapter 3, this method of producing a product should not work. As I have stated already, I am not an economist, but I know that giving away a product for free does not pay the bills or keep the lights on in an office. Yet, money is being made not on the software but on support and in the customizing of the software to each customer’s needs. I do not think this is a business model that can be used by a corporation to create a new software product because it takes a certain level of dedication to develop a product that will be given away. I am not sure this level of dedication can be bought. Free software is here to stay, however. As it continues to create markets and as it continues to keep up with products that are not free, it will become a new model for production.

Blog 4- Aufderdeide and Jaszi

Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi (2011) made a compelling argument for fair use in their book Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright. In chapter seven, they explained the licensing and copyright issues confronting documentary filmmakers. These filmmakers were supposed to be documenting culture and yet they changed the appearance of the culture they filmed in order to ensure they were not infringing on any copyrighted material. The reason they engaged in this behavior was to ensure their films could be insured because without insurance, they would have no market. Their subsequent efforts  to draft a statement outlining best practices for fair use and the success they achieved created a sense of hope that in the madness of the copyright chaos fair use could become a powerful tool. I think Aufderheide and Jaszi should be commended for encouraging and helping various groups identify best practices within their fields for implementing fair use.  

In chapter eight, the authors revealed that the guidelines currently being promoted by librarians and educators were based on faulty guidelines that were supported by the industries who would be best served by limited use of fair use. These guidelines, while not part of the 1976 revision of the Copyright Act, became associated with the law because they were read into the congressional record. Because they favored a strict interpretation that limited the use of fair use, the holders of copyright continued to promote the guidelines as the definitive word on how to interpret fair use. Educators and librarians ability to perform their jobs was affected. The development of a code of best practices to be used when implementing media in education helped to create a new environment for teachers where they could teach using appropriate material and educate their students on how to use fair use to create new works of culture. 

The book, Reclaiming Fair Use changed how I viewed copyright and fair use. If I could, I would create a code of best practices for advisors and other staff in higher education. We too teach and influence college students on a regular basis. I have learned about amazing ways to use technology to teach and yet there remains a fear that I or my students will infringe on copyright if I assign a project using technology. In a sense,  my ability to teach students is being hampered just as documentary filmmakers and educators were. While there are similarities in teaching and advising, I would hesitate to assume I could use the same best practices as teachers since I am working with adults and not children. 

According to Aufderheide and Jaszi, Fair use is a valuable tool that needs to become a part of our culture once again. Even though copyright laws have become stronger, fair use is as much a right as copyright.  Their book outlines how to ensure fair use is implemented appropriately. It also clears up where the confusion started and how to end it. The key element of the book is the idea that any group or individual can, with education, learn how to employ fair use to create.  I am encouraged that even though locked up by copyright, our culture is still free to be used to create new works.