Opinion: Copying is not theft
My little experiment with posting up that video worked, and got a bit of back n forth going on the Twitters (thanks to those that engaged in the debate). It was a bit of a red herring - the thing is designers don’t copy - they plagiarise. There’s a difference!
Copying, as the video playfully demonstrated, is simply making more copies of a thing, and whilst a music label or movie studio might be out of an additional sale, they still have the original. But I think there’s a strong counter argument that if the economic benefit from selling the IP one has created is removed, that less people would be interested in creating it to begin with.
Designers on the other hand, don’t copy - they plagiarise. Plagiarism is a different beast, it’s about passing off someone else’s work, ideas or creativity as your own. When you make a copy, the original creator is still known - just because I didn’t pay for a mp3 file doesn’t mean I think the guy who put it online recorded it.
In contrast, when a designer lifts the work of another, then presents it to their colleagues, or a client, as their own - it’s plagiarism. The example I’ve seen today of P.Diddy’s (god I hate that name) clothing label Sean John ripping off Marian Bantjes - is a blatant and rather despicable act of plagiarism on the part of the graphic designer responsible.
Though I am amused that everyone is so surprised that a guy who made his name ‘sampling’ others has started ‘sampling’ graphics. Perhaps the right way to go about it would have been to follow the protocol of the music industry, seek clearance for the useage, pay a royalty, and if necessary, give credit where credit’s due.
Credit where credit’s due? Now there’s a thought.
