PBS just ran an entry on Mixing it Up: How to Make New Content From Old Media. The question about how to reuse elements of our cultural heritage while balancing against the rights of individual artists is one of the core questions of RIP – A Remix Manifesto, a documentary I saw at this year’s SXSW. How people reuse and credit my photography is something that I personally struggle with, so this movie helped me back down from the “how dare they use my photos” mentality towards something more equitable and reasonable.
Another part of the challenge is managing requests for use of my photos that have a clear license attached to them. PBS contacted me to use this photo even though I have the license information watermarked into the image. It was nice of them to ask, but completely unnecessary.
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig, who is interviewed for the film, happened to be on hand that evening to answers questions from the audience. I, of course, happened to have my camera with me.
