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Jesse Brown: The Remix Manifesto

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 | 01:22 PM ET

By Jesse Brown, CBC technology columnist.

Sometimes I have trouble explaining why copyright reform is so important.

Defining it as a cultural issue and a civil rights issue can be difficult when most people think of it (if they think of it at all) as a consumer issue, or worse yet, a technological issue (dinner party tip to passionate geeks: nothing glazes more eyeballs than tech "issues." However important they are to you, they all come out sounding like Linux vs. Vista to everyone else).

At worst, my spiel can come off like I'm going to elaborate rhetorical lengths to justify downloading free HBO. Perhaps that's why I'm so pumped by this - the killer preview for the new NFB doc RiP: A Remix Manifesto:

Filmmaker Brett Gaylor really captures the importance of open culture and the stakes of the conflict. He goes big, speaking to the ideas and ideals at the centre of the movement, and if this clip is any indication - Gaylor nails it.

Best of all, you don't need any prior knowledge of the issues or key players to get what Gaylor's driving at (but if you do follow this stuff, it's an all star cast - Lessig, Doctorow, Girl Talk, and is that Dan O'Neill?!).

Next time I'm flummoxed in an argument, I'll just play this.

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