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Culture Freedom Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Concerning Copyright

Copyrights are the 'exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to reproduce, distribute, and adapt the work.'

Annually observed on the third Saturday of May, this year’s Culture Freedom Day falls on May 20. It seeks to educate the global community on the benefits of promoting open culture. Additionally, the day serves as a designated day and international platform for free culture performers to promote themselves. The free culture movement, a term coined by Lawrence Lessig in 2004, promotes the creation of art that is available for free use, study, distribution, modification, etc. The movement opposes restrictions on the entry of art into the public domain. Examples of such practises include copyright extensions.

The background of Culture Freedom Day

Copyrights are the ‘exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to reproduce, distribute, and adapt the work.’ The history of copyright began when book publishers were granted monopolies. In 1710, the British Statute of Anne was enacted as the world’s first copyright statute. Copyright was initially limited to books, but progressively expanded to include paintings, photographs, sound recordings, and films.

The earliest known instance of the freedom to copy dates back to ancient Ireland. It involved the Cathach, the oldest surviving Irish manuscript and the first instance of Irish writing. A dispute arose regarding the possession of the book. The reigning monarch declared, “To every cow belongs her calf, and to every book its copy.” As a result, the Battle of Cl Dreimhne occurred.

Today, copyright laws protect a vast collection of works from being used by the general public without the owners’ benefit. However, not everyone agrees with the concept. The free culture movement, coined by Lawrence Lessig in 2004, is one example.

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