A look at an interview with Neil Gaiman about the Open Rights Group.
Neil Gaiman, writer of fiction novels including Stardust and Coraline; graphic novels such as the Sandman series; and screenplays like Mirrormask, is also an activist in freedom movements of the digital age. In the video below, the patron of the UK’s Open Rights Group shares his views and experiences dealing with web piracy of his work.
With literature being one of the most timeless mediums of expression, one may think that piracy of such an art form would offend acclaimed writers, and in many cases, it does. However, Neil Gaiman, as a current and “hip” writer, graciously applauds the idea. In the above interview, Gaiman reveals how leaked copies of his books online have had a hand in making him an international hit. These events have also lead to Gaiman’s participation in the Open Rights Group- “protecting your rights in the digital age.”
The ORG is an lobbyist organization dedicated to fighting for freedom of expression for all on the Internet, tackling issues such as copyright laws: “The Internet has opened up extraordinary opportunities for people to create and share ideas. It has also created new ways for people to make money out of this creativity. However, current copyright policies are not allowing us to take full advantage of these” (openrightsgroup.org).
This issue is exactly what Gaiman is talking about- he has made money and gained stature from others posting his work on the Internet for free. Acts like this may seem like stealing, but in the long run, Gaiman claims that they have aided the scope of his career. He compares this to the discovery of one’s favourite author through lending books to one another. He sees the sharing of his work online following the exact same process. Due to stricter copyright laws and government intervention, however, free access to such property is becoming scarce.
From usage-based billing to privacy laws such as the European Union’s Data Protection Directive, government institutions are stepping into the Web 2.0 picture. These institutions are decided what users can and cannot access on the Internet. The ORG and other organizations around the world argue that this is a violation of democratic rights.
In a democracy, freedom plays the lead role. Without freedom, the show cannot go on. Gaiman has come to feel that it is more important to allow the sharing of his work and raising awareness online than it is to protect his copyright.
With more and more writers and artists realizing the benefits of Web 2.0, consumers are supposed to be happier. However, online readers of Gaiman’s work complain about the official free publication American Gods online. Readers on boingboing.net say that the download takes forever to load, especially the illustrations, which are also accused of being poor in quality. Some readers predict that the whole idea was a scam from the publishers, as people would sooner buy a copy from the store than wait for the free copy to load.
As Gaiman’s experiments prove, fans of the work posted online will proceed to purchase a copy for his or herself- but dedication may not be the only motive behind becoming a consumer. The cycle of discovery online and purchasing in the end has seemed to work out for the benefit of many writers, but at the end of the day, it is all about reputation and profit. After all, writers and artists must make a living too. It may seem to be a vicious cycle for the consumer, but in the meantime, writers and artists are taking hold of an online democracy. Therefore, I too think, “basically, that’s an incredibly good thing” (Gaiman).
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