Copyright and Compensation

In the chapter entitled “The Copyright Balance and the Weight of DRM” from Tarleton Gillespie’s book, Wired Shut: Copyright and the Shape of Digital Culture, he discusses the internet and its implications within copyright law. One topic he discusses centers around the idea that copyright laws use monetary incentive to try and promote the creation of various works. Gillespie does go on to acknowledge that compensation is not the purpose for the laws, but it is rather the means by which to achieve the main goal of producing a proliferation of works. He argues that not all people utilize monetary compensation as the primary motivation for producing various pieces of art, music, etc. Some people create art just for the sake of creating art. Others do so to express creativity, improve their reputation, to share their opinions or information, or for other non-monetary rewards.

YouTube is a prime example of people creating works for nonmonetary reasons. Users on the site do not generally possess copyright control over their creations. Thus, they do not receive compensation for each person that views their videos. Some companies may receive indirect compensation if they post advertisements on YouTube that lead to consumers purchasing their goods or services. However, most people post videos for entertainment or informational purposes. In order to ensure that those who are entitled to payment for distribution of their works actually receive their money, YouTube authorities remove any videos from the site that are posted in violation of copyright law. Tarleton Gillespie may not reference YouTube in this chapter of his book, but the site does well in supporting his argument that not all works are created as a result of copyright’s promise for compensation.