All Creative Work Is Derivative
Why Hacker News recommends it
Used in copyright and AI-code debates to argue that creativity is inherently derivative.
What it is
A two-minute animated minute meme by Nina Paley, photographed at the Metropolitan Museum, showing how all creative work builds on what came before. It is set to music from the Sita Sings the Blues soundtrack.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2012 to 2022.
What Hacker News said
Recommends npteljes · 2022-02 · on “The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae”
QuestionCopyright.org has the same observation. They made a nice music video to further spread the idea, how "all creative work builds on what came before": [this video]
Cites nextparadigms · 2012-01 · on “What everyone in the SOPA debate is missing: IP is not a fundamental right”
I think the current copyright laws are already too overreaching and need to be overhauled. They are basically owning a work forever now, and that's not how copyright was supposed to work. Copyright was supposed to protect the creator for a while, and then release it in the public domain, so other creators can make variations of it, and further enrich the culture, which was actually the ultimate goal of copyright. Protecting the creator was just a means to an end, not the very end itself, which is how MPAA and RIAA are acting right now - like they own everything and forever (with the perpetual 20 year extensions), and are entitled to laws that further protect it, no matter what other rights t
Cites quadrangle · 2015-07 · on “The Copyright Office Belongs in a Library”
I meant "inspired by" or something of that ilk. The point is that culture is derivative and Steamboat Willie wouldn't have existed without Steamboat Bill. Everything is a remix. [this video]
Cites pen2l · 2022-06 · on “Copilot sells code other people wrote”
Bit of a stretch to fashion AI-derived/AI-coauthored works as other people's work. Are DALL-E portraits done Picasso-style unrightfully selling Picasso's works? Is an individual selling portraits done Picasso-style unrightfully selling Picasso's works? No, of course not. Joyce's literature was influenced by Ibsen, Mozart looked up to Haydn, Newton was humble enough that he openly professed he stood on the shoulders of his predecessors, Perelman refused the Millennium prize because it wasn't also offered to his colleague Hamilton. All human innovation is iterative, and derivative. [this video] Our skill doesn't grow in vacuums, without outside mentorship and guidance. There are areas where I am up