Legal or illegal copies (Piracy)
Pejepe
E-mail: pej...@club-internet.fr
22/01/99
LEGAL OR ILLEGAL COPIES ?
(Sorry, it has turned out to be a bit of a novel)
Only, despite being a newcomer to the internet at least what News is
concerned, I am however quite aware of the fact that I am here about to
plunge into a debate which is as old as Methuselah himself.
The traditional argument is of course, all in a total merry go around. A
vicious circle so to speak.
That is to say that piracy always has a tendency to bite also those who did
their copies for a start, namely the very day when they again are about to
sell their things, and therefore to let others copy their things, and so on
and so forth.
Despite being probably one of the most repeated discussions, I do feel the
debate to be so important that nonetheless I’m about to publish on several
news discussions fora, such as for instance 3d. Studio and 3d Studio
Binaries.
Now, with another argument coming in, and let’s call it “art” and “research”
, where we could even put these two words together in calling it artistic
research, just like talking about scientific research or whatever.
Where the key word, or the access to the whole thing is the word “research”,
or, in other words someone having an idea of some sort and now he or she is
going to find means with how to bring it out, or with how to realise what he
or she has in mind.
My argument is that in this case the artist, or the creator or whatever, he
or she is then a little bit above the law, namely with the right to copy
whatever he needs to continue, simply because of the fact of how will it
then be possible ever to get started.
I cannot go out and sell an idea as long as there is nothing concrete about
it. And how will I ever be able be able to make it concrete without selling.
Also the term Copyright is something very new, and we all know what it is.
Where up till we were talking about something quite different, namely what
is called still with a French word also in English, “droit d’auteur” i.e.
always we have the right to make copies, but in the respect of what he or
she has been doing.
That in fact there is no confusion between the two one can simply see from
musicians or composers who are having royalties (the droit d’auteur
function) from their music being played for instance on the radio, and at
the same time they have the copyright with the records being sold.
It is however to point out the very fact, that if for instance we had had
the Copyright term working in the same way, say even thirty to forty years
ago like we have it today, a Picasso who really copied, his way of course,
from all over he could have done nothing or next to nothing, and a Van Gogh
if not to mention a Beethoven (who sometimes copied openly from Mozart) they
would have been almost dead and out.
Nonetheless, my problem is that I’m living right here and now, and not
hundred or even fifty years ago, and what am I then going to do ?
The first thing is of course to admit that I do copy and that I have always
done.
When also to say that I have always admitted it quite openly, and yet with a
kind of home made philosophy, with things primarily to be used in my work as
an artist.
With what is not only the “poor artist” argument, or still this idea coming
up from the Nineteenth Century saying that in a way artists are a little bit
above the law. It is in a sense cool calculation.
Or simply the fact that I very much believe in the things I am here doing,
first of all with a firm background in traditional art, I know what I am
talking about, and therefore if one day this whole business, mine, triggers
off, then they, those I have so far been copying from, they are probably
going to have more than a fair share of the cake coming out.
This was an argument I have been trying to sell to Autodesk up till some
three or four years ago.
In fact, I came to have an appointment with them down in Paris already in
1993. But things I then came with and seemingly they might have felt it to
be not very convincing. Where afterwards I can see that by then I grossly
underplayed my cards, and at the same time it was only something like coming
with a single floppy disk or two when already by then it was normally
something like ten Megabytes coming out. I never heard anything from them
again.
(Parenthesis) What am I doing ? Abstract and animated paintings in fact.
Simply, I work with colours like some other people, composers, work with
tunes and music, and for those who take, let’s call it, serious interest in
it I now have a CD-ROM (almost) ready.
Today my files are often touching the two hundred Mb. With at least two or
three days’, often two or three months’ preparation/programming beforehand.
Then with a Pentium 200 to work within thirty to sixty hours in a row in
order to either a *.fli or a *.flc file. Normally just for a temporary
result again to be put in to the whole machinery only in order to have the
right colours coming out.
(Again back to the subject – Piracy)
I talked about Autodesk. Like in the same way the Ministry of Culture, what
is normally the place to go looking for grants, or some sort of material to
be used, or both, all in a society now based on Copyright. Of course they
know, that’s their business, ministries of culture in all countries, local
councils whatever, I have even been to ask the European Commission about
some help, that is to say the role of bringing in money for such creative
activities, call it art, that are not directly paid by the society. Of
course all sorts of musicians and particularly filmmakers can tell you a lot
about it.
Only I couldn’t get what would have been quite natural as a demand, now
talking about computer based art, that is to say leave me and others with
the money to buy the material needed - such as programs.
So here we are. And I do need sponsoring of some kind, or do call it that I
can come to capitalise at least some parts of my production.
Above all, I do need a publisher of some sort, and particularly someone
dealing with CD-ROMs.
It could for instance be someone normally dealing with video games. And in
fact we have a lot in common, and there are a lot of things I can learn from
there (for instance moving from one scene to the other) and, hopefully, they
can learn a lot from me.
All in all, those were the many words so far coming out of one single topic.
Piracy.
Thank you for your attention. Sorry, it came to be so long.
Looking forward in hearing from you,
Peter Petersen
Pejepe
Peter PETERSEN
E-mail: pej...@club-internet.fr
23/01/99
Only some further comments to the “Piracy – legal or illegal copying”
I do from time to time have contacts with people who are not doing, say,
artistic but scientific research.
Very often for their clinics and laboratories they engage a person, very
often a lawyer, and very often in a kind of full-time job, in searching for
grants and subsidies all over.
Also from my childhood I have known painters, those who succeeded the most,
having a lawyer to look after their things or very often it was the wife who
did the job.
Now with another era the more successful situation, I suppose, is either to
have a contact, or better a contract, with either a centre of education i.e.
an academy of arts, some sort of a publishing where eventually it is
possible to do ones own things so “in between” or any sort of structured
framework that gives the possible freedom in the choice of, here, programs
and material.
In other words, poverty and, still referring to the topic – piracy, lack of
access to various programs is not only a question of money, when more a
question of where you are.
I am here alone. And poor.
So if anyone, after this very long story of mine, do feel inclined to
contact me. Please do !
Not that we are going to do the same work and the same things together. I am
just looking for a kind of first of all financial framework which can be to
the advantage of all sides.
And not necessarily all on the same level. It can also be a big and a small,
an elephant and a mouse together when not necessarily it is the “mouse” who
is getting the most benefit out of it.
Like for instance some years ago when I tried to take contact with Autodesk,
and, too bad for them, with no answer at all.
Looking forward in seeing your comments,
Peter P.
edx
Pejepe
An animated painting is a painting that moves. Just like a movie for
instance.
Normally, a painting is something to be put on the wall, but where can you
put an animated painting rather than on the Internet or on a CD-ROM ?
If you like, video games can also in a sense, with the impression they give,
be regarded as “animated paintings”
Does it make sense ?
PP
edx a écrit dans le message <78f9pn$1nn$1...@imsp009a.netvigator.com>...
edx
>instance.
I certainly hope not.
>Normally, a painting is something to be put on the wall, but where
can you
>put an animated painting rather than on the Internet or on a CD-ROM ?
>
>If you like, video games can also in a sense, with the impression
they give,
>be regarded as “animated paintings”
>
>Does it make sense ?
That's a trivial and silly answer to a serious question. I mean: "What
IS an animated painting?". In theoretical terms. In relation to
perception, for example, or literature, or holograms, or illusionism,
or thought.
But I also meant: "How do you implement your animated paintings?" Do
you make AVIs, for example? Or are they 3d? Do you use text, or only
visual elements? Can they mutate or are do they play predefined
cycles?
And also, "What kind of thematics are in principle capable of being
described as animated?" (Don't bother trashing 3d graphics, describe
the potential.)
To my mind, an 'animated painting' is, for example, a VRML world with
navigation disabled and wiggling vibrating geometry on a panorama or
other background, so that there is a frozen moment embedded in the
constant motion. But of course it is a great deal more than that. I
just wondered if you had developed any convictions on that 'great deal
more'?
Smeggy
by something like Discreet Logic's Paint, Newtek's Aura or even Painter,
either a painting that forms over time or as a picture that changes over
time. The difference between this and 3d is that you "paint" your own
animation, frame by frame using the paint programs tools like brush,
watercolor, oils, charcoal, pens, crayons or pencils etc. Once complied,
they come in many flavors of animation file like Avi etc.
Painter is, I think, the best one for this as it has the best natural
toolset of them all. Aura is also good for this.
--
Smeggy
Better Smeg than dead :]
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