I made a buzzed quiz to help determine whether you are a copyright revolutionary, copyright liberal, copyright moderate, or copyright traditionalist. I took inspiration from my interviews with artists and from the court cases I read. Your outlook and experience with art shapes your copyright beliefs. It is important to know where you stand on the spectrum because that will guide you as you move forward with your artistic process. This is meant to be a fun quiz. It only has 3 questions, so there is room for error.
As a disclaimer, this is a quiz I made myself with labels I created. The corresponding answer you get is a reflection of what I believe the different labels would think in those scenarios. Please just enjoy and do not take it too seriously.
The Copyright Spectrum as I Have Defined It
Copyright Revolutionary: So, you’re a copyright revolutionary. This means that you don’t believe the intellectual property regime should exist in its current state. It is dangerously rooted in constrictive private property theory and needs to change. As an author and creator yourself, you do not want to be tied down by old-schooled laws governing what art can and cannot be. Art is fluid, it is collaborative, and it does not and cannot fit into traditional, capitalist modes of thought. Art is a public good, it is not meant to be private property. Your favorite artist is Banksy.
Copyright Liberal: Congrats! You are a copyright liberal. You believe that copyright protection needs to expand and change to help small artists. You believe that intellectual property and copyright have its place in the world. Maybe it is a tool that can help protect small artists, or maybe it is an agent for progress. Either way, you understand that it has its flaws. With court bias towards, bigger, more established artists and mediums, small artists can be easily dismissed by courts. The intellectual property regime needs to change before it hinders progress rather than promote it. Art has and will always be by and for the people. It is something that is shared, and you understand that everyone draws from each other’s works. We inspire each other, and copying is hardly a crime. You know, Picasso once said that good artists copy, great artists steal. Your favorite artist is Frida Kahlo.
Copyright Moderate: Alright alright simmer down everyone. Overall, your views on copyright are aligned with existing court decisions. You believe that the intellectual property regime exists for a reason. The purpose of things like copyright is to promote the progress of useful arts and sciences for limited times so that such innovations may later be enjoyed by society. Intellectual property isn’t perfect, but what is. We need it so that artists may be rewarded for their labor and society will be better off for it. And hey, if an artist has to copy to make something, maybe they weren’t that good in the first place. Your favorite artist is Andy Warhol.
Copyright Revolutionary: Things are just getting out of hand are they? Copyright needs to go back to the way it used to be. Copyright is meant to protect commercial interests or else no one will make anything and society won’t benefit from those innovations. You made something, it’s yours, and no one can steal it by copying it. People are out here talking about how copying is collaborative. No. It’s simply theft. There are great artworks out there because of the intellectual property regime. Now people are out here trying to impose moral rights. Art used to be great, now there are short dances, non-permanent installations, and graffiti trying to claim they deserve the same amount of copyright as a Picasso. How absurd. You, of course, love European art, have a bias towards traditional, established art and art mediums. Your favorite artist is Leonardo da Vinci.
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