Copyright thoughts

The talk about copyright today made me think a lot about whether or not I more in support of copyright reform or more in support of strict copyright laws.

This video that I have posted highlights the instance where Avril Lavigne rips off The Rubinoos "I Want to Be Your Boyfriend" refrain in her song "Girlfriend." The Rubinoos song has been one of my favorite songs for many, many years. I truly believe that it is one of the best power pop songs ever written, and the song has come to mean a lot to me over the years. When I first heard Avril's song, I got angry. Really angry. How could some pop tart come along and piss all over one of my favorite creative works? It seemed so wrong to me. The copyright laws protecting this kind of artistic infringement represent an important concept in respecting the original artists creative talent and integrity. I was ecstatic when I read in the paper that legal action was being pursued against Avril.

Perhaps there are two branches of copyright control. One branch encompasses distribution issues such as "piracy," copying, selling for profit, etc. The other sphere deals with the degradation of an existing creative work, where an artist attempts to make money off of a previous creative effort. This is the point where I think copyright laws are not only crucial, but make sense.