Creativity, copyright and what the law doesn't recognise

Whilst presenting the Creating Your Future in The Digital World programme, I was often asked about copyright in the digital community. It is a vexed area and one in which there are as many opinions as there are lawyers - pick your opinion and then pick a lawyer. Peter Williams, CEO of Deloitte Digital was clear that the most exciting area of commercial development in the digital technologies was often where the hackers could be found. I have downloaded songs and remixed them as a hobby for years without paying. Legally I could be perceived as having breached copyright. In searching for some answers to this question and to add content to our next series of Creating Your Future in the Digital World programmes, I came across this presentation on YouTube provided by Lawrence Lessing. Lawrence is a professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of its Center for Internet and Society. He is founder and CEO of the Creative Commons and a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Center. This beautifully articulated presentation goes towards shaping a contemporary philosophy around copyright that is a realistic reflection of what is occuring, something the law has simply not faced.