Dr Smita Kheria, School of Law, University of Edinburgh
Tuesday 21 November
12.00 - 2.00pm, Room 1.21, Paterson's Land, Moray House School of Education
Abstract
Copyright, as a key issue that concerns both the creative industries and
individual creative practitioners alike, has increasingly been subjected
to public debate. The transition from analogue to digital media has been
both promising and problematic. On the one hand, there are new
opportunities for the production, dissemination, and consumption of
creative output which creators may be unable to utilize, because of the
barriers posed by copyright restrictions. On the other, successful
exploitation of copyright faces challenges and has led to concerns about
the ability of creators to earn a living and sustain their creative
activities.
In this context, it is then useful to ask: what is the role of copyright
in the day to day practice of creative practitioners, and how is it
changing? Does copyright matter to creators today? Is it relevant to
their everyday lives and valuable to them?
With an emphasis on artists’ relationship with copyright, this talk will
present thematic findings from new empirical research with creative
practitioners. In particular, it will focus on three themes: a) the role
of copyright as a source of revenue (the ability to exploit rights for
monetary return) in creative lives b) the importance of protection for
personal non-monetary interests and the possible role played by
copyright in protecting reputational concerns and, c) the complexity of
creators’ relationships with copyright.
Biography
Smita is a Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law in Edinburgh Law
School. She combines legal expertise in copyright and related rights
with socio-legal research on the role of intellectual property law in
the real world. She has been involved in several research projects that
have examined how copyright intersects with the everyday lives and
creative practices of digital artists, online creative communities, arts
and humanities researchers, and professional creators and performers.