Marsha Hairston
Internet Writing-Theory and Practice
February 16, 2007
Dr, Lisa Maruca
Dr. Caroline Maun


Who Owns Culture? Authorship and Property Online (pt. 1)

Lawrence Lessig, Free Culture raises the issue of who owns culture? Lessig states, “Free Culture is a balance between anarchy and control. The opposite of a free culture is a permission culture. A culture in which creators get to create only with permission of the powerful or the creators of the past”.[1]

It is clear to me from Lessig’s writing that the issue of how much right does the creator have in being creative, when the creation could be based on the foundation of another creator’s work. The theory of evolution comes to mind on how something can evolve and become greater or different. But what is important to note is there was a beginning. This beginning is what sparked new ideas. Although, it is important to protect the right of the creator, we must be careful not to stifle the creative energy of an individual that would like to expand the creator’s creation. Also as pointed out by Lessig, individuals that are not creators, or directly or indirectly involved in the creation have rights too. This was conveyed in the story about the invention of airplane by the Wright brothers and Causby a farmer who wanted to stop airplanes from flying over his land because his chickens were being killed.

The invention of the airplane raised the issue of do airplanes have the right to fly over land owner’s property without permission. Also, the question was raised who owned the airways or the territory in the sky. The Supreme Court ruled in 1945 in favor of technology. Airplanes had the right to fly over land owners’ property without obtaining permission. This was a loss for the farmers.

Technology is rapidly changing and evolving. The rapid change is most likely the results of building off of a concept from the past. Should permission be required to protect the creator or should an individual have the right to build or expand on another creator’s property is difficult and complex question for me to answer.




[1] Lessig, Lawrence; Free Culture