Monday November 7, 2005
12:30-1:30 PM
Room 280A
Stanford Law School
Open to All
Lunch Served
From the plays of Aristophanes in ancient Athens, and the writing of Juvenal in imperial Rome, through the role of court jesters in medieval Europe, satire and parody have been used to express social and political critique, even in repressive societies that did not recognize a right to freedom of speech. Culture jamming continues this tradition, using the commercialized iconography of modern media and marketing to challenge the powerful. Recent developments in digital technology have returned power to individuals and communities to create vivid widely disseminated cultural critiques.
However almost all culture jamming can be inhibited or prevented by corporate use of intellectual property law. For the first time in Western history parody and satire can be easily censored by private interest. In part this is because intellectual property law hasn't adapted digital technology. In part it the private nature of the extensive powers given to intellectual property holders has the censorious use to which they can be put. Two recent cases in South Africa Laugh it Off v SAB, and Telkom v Helkom show the importance of these issues to open societies, especially new democracies.Andrew Rens, obtained BA and subsequently LLB (equivalent of JD) degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, before working as a lawyer in private practise. His next real job was for the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration during the start up of this independent government agency for the resolution of labour disputes. He left the CCMA to engage in teaching and human rights litigation as an attorney at the Wits Law Clinic while he completed his Master of Laws, focusing on Intellectual Property Issues on the Internet at Wits Law School where he subsequently taught Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Broadcasting, Space and Satellite, and Media Law and pioneered a course in Information Technology Law. Mr. Rens is the Legal Lead for Creative Commons South Africa, and currently resides in San Francisco where he works on issues around access to knowledge, collaborative creative works and the Digital Divide.