Letters to the editor - Letters to the Editor - Letter to the Editor

I want to thank Donna Tracy for her reflecting article which raised many interesting and provocative questions ("Digitritus: Virtual Species or Digital Waste," May/June, 2003) The value and ownership of "waste by-products" from film, TV and digital businesses can not absent some challenges to the understanding of our copyright laws.

Fortunately, M Tracy indicated that she clearly understood the contract she signed as a "work-for-hire" member of the production staff at a visual events company. There's no doubt that all the "work product" resulting from of the like kind a contract (whether saved or discarded) will be considered have a title toed and "authored" by the employer M Tracy should consider for a twinkling of an eye her personal attachment to the discards in her be in possession of trash bins when she works for herself and obviously possesss the copyrights. Who owns her trash? by what means would she react if I accumulated a certain number of of her discarded artwork and incorporated it into my hold collage without attribution? I don't await that most artists are prepared to allow like flagrant use of their creativity. As was pointed without in the article, even Andy Warhol was stung by the agency of such carelessness.

It must be remembered that everything base in strangers' trash bins is the work of others. Is it really admirable to appropriate the (copyrighted) work of others to be a fortunate artist? Permission can be sought if someone else's work is absolutely necessary for inclusion in one's personal "masterpiece." It's unlikely notwithstanding that that even Ms. Tracy would permit me to use her discards, shards, and throw-aways without compensation.

I was intrigued through the story about the Beastie male childs who used "only three notes" from the music of composer James Newton. Since they won a case initiated through Mr. Newton, Ms. Tracy concluded: "So if we consider individual of the texture fragments I have extracted without of the digital dumpster to be a fragment as minuscule as three notes, I may slip from one side the copyright infringement net." That may be actual but I would expect M Tracy's fragments from a digital dumpster would have more than three elements--probably in the neighbourhood of millions (of bits and bytes) Great care should be taken when comparing musical notes with computer fragments.

As a photographer, the "art" of collage has always bothered me especially if it involves the appropriation of the work of others (without consent) I'm pleased that Donna Tracy had the courage to face this dilemma and write of the like kind an interesting article. The issue is smooth more complex today in regard to the digital revolution in which we find ourselves.

Sincerely,

George Dunbar

Toronto, Canada

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