Copyright as Barrier to Creativity: The Case of User-Generated Content
Author | Samuel Trosow |
Pages | 521-539 |
521
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Copyright as Barrier to Creativity: The Case
of User-Generated Content
:The chapter begins with a denitional overview of user-gen-
erated content (UGC) as a growing form of cultural and communicative ac-
tivity in the digital environment. Its potential economic and cultural value
are considered, as well as factors which act as barriers to its further develop-
ment and distribution. It is argued that overly restrictive copyright policies
and the threat of infringement liability unduly constrain the full potential of
this emerging practice.
A comparative analysis of UGC’s treatment as an exception or limita-
tion to infringement in Canada, the United States, and other jurisdictions
is undertaken, and the recently enacted UGC amendment to the Canadian
Copyright Act is evaluated and critiqued. It is argued that UGC can best our-
ish as part of a broad fair-dealing right where its transformative nature is a
central criterion.
User-generated content as a category of creative activity remains
under-theorized, especially with respect to the relationship between the
labour of individual creators in the networked environment and copyright
policy. This chapter explores how changes in the digital environment ne-
cessitate the rethinking of certain aspects of copyright law in order to avoid
undue barriers to the further development of digital content.
:Ce chapitre débute avec la présentation d’une vue d’ensemble
du contenu généré par l’utilisateur (CGU) en tant que forme grandissante
522 •
d’activité culturelle et communicative dans le contexte numérique. Ses
valeurs économiques et culturelles potentielles, ainsi que les facteurs agis-
sant comme barrières à son développement et à sa distribution future, sont
considérées. L’auteur soutient que les politiques trop restrictives du droit
d’auteur ainsi que les menaces d’actions en violation de droit d’auteur res-
treignent indûment le plein potentiel de cette pratique émergente.
Le traitement du CGU, comme exception ou limite à la violation de droit
d’auteur, fait l’objet d’une analyse comparative au Canada, aux États-Unis et
dans d’autres États, et les modications récemment apportées à la loi cana-
dienne relativement au CGU sont évaluées et critiquées. L’auteur soutient
que les pratiques de CGU peuvent mieux s’épanouir comme partie d’un droit
à l’utilisation équitable des œuvres étendu, dans lequel la nature transfor-
mée de l’œuvre devient un critère central.
Le contenu généré par l’utilisateur, comme catégorie d’activité créative,
reste peu analysé sur le plan théorique, surtout sous l’aspect du travail des
créateurs individuels dans un environnement de réseaux interconnectés
et des politiques de droit d’auteur. Ce chapitre explore comment les chan-
gements dans le contexte numérique nécessitent la reconsidération de
certains aspects du droit d’auteur an d’éviter de créer des entraves déme-
surées au développement futur du contenu numérique.
A. INTRODUCTION
This chapter looks at the creative processes from the point of view of auth-
ors who use existing copyrighted content as part of their creation of new
works. Borrowing as a component of creative practice is not a new issue as
authors have long been faced with questions concerning the scope of per-
missible borrowing, or use, in the course of generating new cultural objects.
A long trajectory of borrowing practices is well documented in music, lit-
erature, and the visual arts. But what is new about the practice of borrow-
ing is an increased tension between two processes. On the one hand, more
and more individuals are now creatively engaging with cultural objects in
an increasingly connected and networked environment. At the same time,
though, content owners have become increasingly protective of their prop-
erty rights, as they resort to the use of technological protection measures, as
they issue take-down notices, and as they threaten litigation. This height-
ened tension results in an increasingly contentious policy environment, as
was recently witnessed as Parliament went through the stages of amending
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