extra credit free culture

I thought the movie in class about free culture was really interesting because the speaker in the movie was claiming that we are losing our rights to freedom and our culture through the use of restrictions on creative works, such as patents. Someone in class commented that they felt everyone should be able to use everyone else’s work as long as the work is properly cited and does not try to pass as one’s own work. I agree with this comment because I feel it is important to use other people’s previous work so we are able to build on and progress. When someone creates a piece of art or music, it sets the foundation for new inspiration. I think educational institutions have been the best promoters of the free culture movement because they do not have intent of economic gain. I found a really cool website freeculture.org which is a website that contains students from various universities coming together through email and blogging to support the free culture movement.