Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Signal or Noise 2k5: Creative Revolution?

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society to host "Signal or Noise 2k5: Creative Revolution?", a conference on how digital technologies are enabling new artistic genres and forms of creativity

CAMBRIDGE - Friday, April 8, The Berkman Center for Internet & Society will host "Signal or Noise 2k5: Creative Revolution?", a conference on how digital technologies enable new artistic genres, creators, and business models, and challenge existing ones. As digital technologies enable audiences to become artists and publishers, often by building off others' work, some are celebrating the popularization of the creative process -- while others are decrying theft and plagiarism.

"New technologies are making digital creativity possible for many more people than ever before. These new contributions to our culture are exciting -- but they are also challenging, because these creative works don't fit the traditional commercial model and often involve the active reuse of existing art," says John Palfrey, Executive Director of the Berkman Center. "Our traditional copyright doctrine is struggling to adapt to the digital age. How can we balance original artists' rights and interests with the interests of expanding popular creativity?"

The conference will explore the legal, ethical, cultural, and business implications of creative reuse through an exciting mix of performances, demonstrations, and panels. Artists' complex reactions to commercial, artist, and audience reuses of their works; the challenges new derivative genres present to traditional copyright doctrine; and the opportunities and complications presented by noncommercial creation and widespread free republication will all be addressed.

An eclectic group of well-known digital artists, writers, entertainment lawyers, copyright experts, and musicians will share their perspectives and experiences. Scheduled panelists and performance artists include New York Times bestselling author Matthew Pearl, copyright scholar Terry Fisher, fanfiction author Naomi Novik, David Dixon of Beatallica, Paul Marino of machinima.org, and Wendy Seltzer and John Perry Barlow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Members of the media are invited to cover this event. To obtain a press pass, please contact Amanda Michel, amichel@cyber.law.harvard.edu or (617) 495-7547.

"Signal or Noise 2k5" will be held in Ames Courtroom, Austin Hall on the Harvard Law School campus. The conference is from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information, including panelists' bios, please visit: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sn/

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School was founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development.