This is a carry-over post from one of my other study blogs. I thought it posed a propostion of such interest that I'd publish it here too.
I'm not sure how correct this is, but it's certainly a very different view on IP protection than some industries I'm familiar with...
Hard to believe (I'm not sure why but I just had to say that) this neat little article comes from the online pages of the Christian Science Monitor. Entitled 'Control of creativity? Fashion's secret' it suggests that the fashion industry deals with issues of creativity and derivation of ideas far differently from film and music.
The authors, David Bollier and Laurie Racine, pose the following question:
Why do fashion, film, and music - the sultans of cool in our culture, the shapers of our consciousness - take such radically different approaches to the control of creativity?
They then begin to provide an answer:
The music and film industries continue to battle over the need to expand copyright protection, and to limit sharing and reuse of prior work. The fashion industry, driven by similar market interests, employs a modus operandi that accepts rather than rejects derivation and appropriation as creative tools.
The remainder of the article builds on this premise.
Are they correct? I don't know. In our doctoral study group we're going to ask a fashion industry expert in a few weeks.
I'll post her views.