give credit: “Acknowledge an accomplishment, as in They really should give her credit for the work she’s done [Late 1700s]. The phrase is sometimes amplified to give credit where credit is due meaning the acknowledgment should be to the person who deserves it. This expression was probably coined by SamuelAdams in a letter (October 29, 1777), which put it:”Give credit to whom credit due.” It is sometimes put give someone their due” (dictionary.com)
This idea of giving credit is incredibly interesting; mostly because of its double meaning. For the purpose of this paper, I will be looking at giving credit in a literal sense- where a contribution is explicitly recognized, granting the contributor his/her due. I will also be noting the idiom’s other sense, where a person’s intellect and ethical values are taken into consideration. I really think that the polysemy of this expression is representative of what the Free Culture movement is all about.
Lawrence Lessig, who wrote the book the movement was founded on, is the director of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard Law School, yet he is one of the leading advocates for reduced legal restriction of copyrighted works. Creative commons, the organization he founded, presents different licensing options that may allow for a richer public domain, yet also expects people to appreciate and respect what they call “reasonable copyright”. In a sense they are giving the public, the benefit of the doubt. They are giving them more credit, than to assume that this seemingly more relaxed structure will be abused by infringers.
In this paper I will, first, look at what the movement is actually about, as well as its creation, its advocates, affiliated organizations, and projects that have been development for its advancement. The second part of my work will be researching the opposition the movement faces and criticism of some of Lessig’s Free Culture theories.
Lessig’s free culture, the Students for Free Culture website, and a few videos containing presentations and interviews with the movement’s pioneers will be my principal sources. I will use a few articles to complement them, as well.
