Laws that choke creativity | Larry Lessig

翻译人员: Miao Li 校对人员: Chunlei Chang

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

I want to talk to you a little bit about user-generated content.

我今天要谈谈网民们自己创造的资源

I'm going to tell you three stories on the way to one argument

我要讲三个故事来阐明一个论点

that's going to tell you a little bit

它会大概告诉你们

about how we open user-generated content up for business.

如何在用户生成内容中发掘商机

So, here's the first story.

那么，现在是第一个故事。

1906. This man, John Philip Sousa, traveled to this place,

一九零六年。这个人，作曲家约翰·菲利普·苏萨，来到这个地方，

the United States Capitol, to talk about this technology,

美国国会大厦，为了一项新技术，

what he called the, quote, "talking machines."

一个他称为“说话机器” 的东西。

Sousa was not a fan of the talking machines.

苏萨可不是说话机器爱好者。

This is what he had to say.

以下是他的看法。

"These talking machines are going to ruin artistic development

“这些说话机器将会毁掉音乐艺术

of music in this country.

在这个国家的任何发展前途。

When I was a boy, in front of every house in the summer evenings,

当我还是个孩子时，每当夏夜，每间房子前面

you would find young people together

就会看到年轻人在一起

singing the songs of the day, or the old songs.

唱着流行歌曲，或者是老歌。

Today, you hear these infernal machines going night and day.

而今一天到晚听见的都是这些恶魔似的机器。

We will not have a vocal chord left," Sousa said.

我们全部都会失去声带，”苏萨说。

"The vocal chords will be eliminated by a process of evolution

我们的声带会在进化的过程中被淘汰

as was the tail of man when he came from the ape."

就像我们从猿进化为人时丢掉尾巴一样

Now, this is the picture I want you to focus on.

现在，我要你们仔细看看这幅图

This is a picture of culture.

这是一幅我们文化的写照

We could describe it using modern computer terminology

我们可以用现代电脑术语来形容它

as a kind of read-write culture.

称其为一种“读写文化”。

It's a culture where people participate in the creation

这种文化让人们参与它的创造

and the re-creation of their culture. In that sense, it's read-write.

和再创造。是双向的，所以叫“读写文化”

Sousa's fear was that we would lose that capacity

苏萨就是害怕我们会失去创造力

because of these, quote, "infernal machines." They would take it away.

因为有了那些“说话机器”， 它们会把创造力剥夺

And in its place, we'd have the opposite of read-write culture,

取而代之的是与“读写文化”相反的，

what we could call read-only culture.

一个种“只读”的文化

Culture where creativity was consumed

一个消费着创造力

but the consumer is not a creator.

可消费者不是生产者的文化。

A culture which is top-down, owned,

一个自上而下的，被私人占有的文化

where the vocal chords of the millions have been lost.

人们遗失了声带，万马齐喑的文化

Now, as you look back at the twentieth century,

看看过去的20世纪

at least in what we think of as the, quote, "developed world" --

至少在我们所谓的“发达国家”里

hard not to conclude that Sousa was right.

很难否认苏萨是对的

Never before in the history of human culture

人类文化史上前所未见的

had it been as professionalized, never before as concentrated.

专业化与集中化

Never before has creativity of the millions

人民大众的创造力

been as effectively displaced,

从来没有那么有效地被丢在一边

and displaced because of these, quote, "infernal machines."

而被丢掉的原因就是这些“说话的机器”

The twentieth century was that century

在20世纪里

where, at least for those places we know the best,

至少，对于那些我们最清楚的地方

culture moved from this read-write to read-only existence.

文化已经从“读写”状态进入了可怜的“只读”形式

So, second. Land is a kind of property --

第二个故事。土地是一种产业

it is property. It's protected by law.

一种被法律保护的产业

As Lord Blackstone described it, land is protected by trespass law,

正如Blackstone勋爵所说，法律禁止非法侵入土地

for most of the history of trespass law,

而在反侵入土地法的历史上，大多数时候

by presuming it protects the land all the way down below

我们认为它保护地表以下无限深

and to an indefinite extent upward.

和上面无限高的范围

Now, that was a pretty good system

那是一个相当好的系统

for most of the history of the regulation of land,

在人类管理土地的历史上一直适用

until this technology came along, and people began to wonder,

直到一种科技的到来，使大家开始想

were these instruments trespassers

这些东西到底是不是非法侵犯者

as they flew over land without clearing the rights

它们没得到批准就飞越私人土地

of the farms below as they traveled across the country?

飞越土地上的农场

Well, in 1945, Supreme Court got a chance to address that question.

1945年，最高法院有机会处理这个问题

Two farmers, Thomas Lee and Tinie Causby, who raised chickens,

两个养鸡的农夫，Thomas Lee和Tinie Cosby

had a significant complaint because of these technologies.

为了这些科技发明，而向有关当局投诉了。

The complaint was that their

他们投诉说

chickens followed the pattern of the airplanes

他们养的鸡老是跟着飞机飞的方向跑

and flew themselves into the walls of the barn

当飞机飞过土地时

when the airplanes flew over the land.

鸡群就一头栽在谷仓的墙上

And so they appealed to Lord Blackstone

于是他们就向Blackstone勋爵请愿

to say these airplanes were trespassing.

告那些飞机非法侵入

Since time immemorial, the law had said,

古往今来法律都规定

you can't fly over the land without permission of the landowner,

你不能在未经许可的情况下过境

so this flight must stop.

所以，这样的飞行要立刻停止

Well, the Supreme Court considered this 100-years tradition

最高法院考虑了这个百年之久的法律传统

and said, in an opinion written by Justice Douglas,

然后在由Douglass法官撰写的法院意见中说

that the Causbys must lose.

原告败诉了

The Supreme Court said the doctrine protecting land

最高法院说保护土地

all the way to the sky has no place in the modern world,

到地表上面无穷高的原则，在现代世界并不适用

otherwise every transcontinental flight would

否则每一班洲际航线

subject the operator to countless trespass suits.

都得让飞行员吃到数不清的非法侵入官司

Common sense, a rare idea in the law, but here it was. Common sense --

常识，法律界里多稀罕的东西啊，可是这里就有常识

(Laughter) --

（笑）

Revolts at the idea. Common sense.

常识压倒了传统观念

Finally. Before the Internet, the last great terror

最后。在互联网出现之前

to rain down on the content industry

内容产业蒙受的最大灾难

was a terror created by this technology. Broadcasting:

是广播技术造成的

a new way to spread content,

一种全新的传播内容的方式

and therefore a new battle over the control

于是乎就引来了一场的新的

of the businesses that would spread content.

传播内容商机的争夺战

Now, at that time, the entity,

当时那个

the legal cartel, that controlled the performance rights

控制着大多数音乐播放权的

for most of the music that would be broadcast

合乎法律的垄断组织

using these technologies was ASCAP.

也是广播技术的使用者-是美国作曲家，作者与出版商协会（ASCAP）联合体

They had an exclusive license on the most popular content,

他们对大多数流行内容有独家掌控权

and they exercised it in a way that tried to demonstrate

而且他们也处处极力显示

to the broadcasters who really was in charge.

让广播公司明白谁才是老板

So, between 1931 and 1939, they raised rates by some 448 percent,

于是1931年到1939年间他们把版权费拉高了448%

until the broadcasters finally got together

直到广播公司终于联合起来

and said, okay, enough of this.

说好了，我们受够了

And in 1939, a lawyer, Sydney Kaye, started something

1939年，Sydney Kaye,一位律师，创建了

called Broadcast Music Inc. We know it as BMI.

音乐广播公司，就是大名鼎鼎的BMI

And BMI was much more democratic in the art

BMI对待艺术的态度更加民主

that it would include within its repertoire,

在曲库里第一次收录了

including African American music for the first time in the repertoire.

第一次收录了非洲裔美国人的音乐

But most important was that BMI took public domain works

可是最终要的是BMI把流行领域的作品

and made arrangements of them, which they gave away for free

改编之后免费

to their subscribers. So that in 1940,

献给订购客户。这样以来，到了1940年

when ASCAP threatened to double their rates,

当垄断的ASCAP扬言要把版费翻番

the majority of broadcasters switched to BMI.

大多数广播公司转投了BMI

Now, ASCAP said they didn't care.

当时ASCAP说没什么大不了的

The people will revolt, they predicted, because the very best music

他们认为广播听众最后会不乐意的，因为最好的音乐

was no longer available, because they had shifted

不再播放了，因为他们被迫得听

to the second best public domain provided by BMI.

BMI改编后的次品

Well, they didn't revolt, and in 1941, ASCAP cracked.

当然，听众最终没什么意见。而1941年，ASCAP就认输了

And the important point to recognize

这里重要的是要认识到

is that even though these broadcasters

尽管广播公司们

were broadcasting something you would call second best,

没有原汁原味的音乐，只能退而求其次

that competition was enough to break, at that time,

当时却已经足够在竞争中打破

this legal cartel over access to music.

法定联合体对音乐使用权的垄断

Okay. Three stories. Here's the argument.

三个故事讲完，现在是论点

In my view, the most significant thing to recognize

我认为这其中最显著的一点

about what this Internet is doing

牵涉到互联网的作用

is its opportunity to revive the read-write culture

就是它提供了复苏

that Sousa romanticized.

苏萨曾经大加渲染的”读写“文化的良机

Digital technology is the opportunity

数字技术是

for the revival of these vocal chords

一个找回丢失声带的机会

that he spoke so passionately to Congress about.

这正是苏萨在国会前慷慨陈词时心中想要的

User-generated content, spreading in businesses

网络用户生成内容， 在商业中传播

in extraordinarily valuable ways like these,

通过像这样极为宝贵的方式

celebrating amateur culture.

传扬业余爱好者文化

By which I don't mean amateurish culture,

我所指的不是质量上业余的文化

I mean culture where people produce

我说的是一种人们

for the love of what they're doing and not for the money.

为爱好而不是为钱所创造的文化

I mean the culture that your kids are producing all the time.

就是你们的孩子整天都在创造的文化

For when you think of what Sousa romanticized

当你们想想苏萨说到

in the young people together, singing the songs of the day,

曾经年轻人聚在一起唱着流行歌曲

of the old songs, you should recognize

或是老歌，你应该能发现苏萨所为之倾倒的

what your kids are doing right now.

其实与你们孩子正做的事情别无二致：

Taking the songs of the day and the old songs

把流行歌曲和以前的歌放在一块儿

and remixing them to make them something different.

混搭一下变成不一样的东西

It's how they understand access to this culture.

这就是他们对如何投身这一文化的理解

So, let's have some very few examples

我们且看几个例子

to get a sense of what I'm talking about here.

好理解我所说的这些

Here's something called Anime Music Video, first example,

这是动漫MTV，第一个例子

taking anime captured from television

从电视里截下来的动漫片段

re-edited to music tracks.

被剪辑与音乐对应

(Music)

♫

This one you should be -- confidence. Jesus survives. Don't worry.

这个你应该--有信心。耶稣会活下来的。别担心

(Music)

(♫音乐是Gloria Gaynor的《我会活下来》）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And this is the best.

这个是最棒的

(Music)

（♫音乐是Lionel Ritchie和Diana Ross的名曲《无尽的爱》）

My love ...

我的爱人...

There's only you in my life ...

此生只有你...

The only thing that's bright ...

唯一的光明

My first love ...

我的初恋

You're every breath that I take ...

你是我每口呼吸

You're every step I make ...

每个足迹

And I ....

而我

I want to share all my love with you ...

与你共享爱情

No one else will do ...

谁也无法夺去

And your eyes ...

你的眼睛

They tell me how much you care ...

流露着关爱的心

(Music)

♫

So, this is remix, right?

这个就是混搭

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

And it's important to emphasize that what this is not

我们要强调的是这个不是什么--

is not what we call, quote, "piracy."

这个不是我们所说的”盗版“

I'm not talking about nor justifying

我既不是在说，更谈不上去为之辩护

people taking other people's content in wholesale

那种把别人的东西全部拿来

and distributing it without the permission of the copyright owner.

未经许可就到处散播的行为

I'm talking about people taking and recreating

我讲的是人们用

using other people's content, using digital technologies

别人创造的内容进行娱乐，通过数码技术处理

to say things differently.

表达不一样的内涵

Now, the importance of this

这里重要的

is not the technique that you've seen here.

不是你所看到的制作技巧

Because, of course, every technique that you've seen here

因为你们看到的每一个处理

is something that television and film producers

电视电影人们

have been able to do for the last 50 years.

50年前就能做了

The importance is that that technique has been democratized.

重要的是这些技术已经在社会上普及了

It is now anybody with access to a $1,500 computer

现在任何一个拥有一台电脑的人

who can take sounds and images from the culture around us

都可以我们身边的文化中采集声象

and use it to say things differently.

用以表情达意

These tools of creativity have become tools of speech.

这些创造力的工具已经成为了表达工具

It is a literacy for this generation. This is how our kids speak.

是这一代人的语言，不会等同文盲

It is how our kids think. It is what your kids are

是他们的思维方式，是他们的生存状态

as they increasingly understand digital technologies

他们越来越了解数字技术

and their relationship to themselves.

以及它与他们自身的关系

Now, in response to this new use of culture using digital technologies,

但是，在这个依赖数字技术成长的新文化的问题上

the law has not greeted this Sousa revival

法律并没有以很好的常识

with very much common sense.

接纳苏萨的提议

Instead, the architecture of copyright law

反而，版权法的建构

and the architecture of digital technologies,

和数码技术的建构

as they interact, have produced the presumption

在互相切磋之后，产生了一个结论:

that these activities are illegal.

这些 活动是非法的

Because if copyright law at its core regulates something called copies,

因为如果版权法管制着翻版的行为

then in the digital world the one fact we can't escape

在数码世界中我们无可回避的事实就是

is that every single use of culture produces a copy.

文化的每一次使用都产生一个副本

Every single use therefore requires permission;

每一次重新使用就都需要征得同意

without permission, you are a trespasser.

未经许可你就是违法侵入者

You're a trespasser with about as much sense

你和这些家伙一样

as these people were trespassers.

都是违法侵入者

Common sense here, though, has not yet revolted

可是我们的常识尚未开始

in response to this response that the law has offered

反抗法律的这一僵死的态度

to these forms of creativity.

为网民创造力的牺牲鸣不平

Instead, what we've seen

而我们看到的

is something much worse than a revolt.

是比反抗更危险的东西：

There's a growing extremism that comes from both sides

冲突双方都陷入了极端主义的怪圈

in this debate, in response to this conflict

在这次争端中

between the law and the use of these technologies.

法律和新兴技术互不相让

One side builds new technologies, such as one recently announced

一方产生像最近公布的那种技术

that will enable them

能自动

to automatically take down from sites like YouTube

从Youtube那样的网站下载

any content that has any copyrighted content in it,

任何流媒体文件，其中一定包含着某些版权内容

whether or not there's a judgment of fair use

--而对任何适用于这些内容的

that might be applied to the use of that content.

针对滥用的评判标准不管不顾

And on the other side, among our kids,

从另一方面，在我们的孩子们中间

there's a growing copyright abolitionism,

蔓延着”版权废奴主义”的呼声

a generation that rejects the very notion

这样的一代人，坚决摒弃

of what copyright is supposed to do, rejects copyright

版权法设立的动机初衷，摒弃版权封闭

and believes that the law is nothing more than an ass

认为版权法只是个不合时宜的愚蠢障碍

to be ignored and to be fought at every opportunity possible.

有机会要完全忽视或公然推倒

The extremism on one side begets extremism on the other,

一方的极端主义会使另一方效仿

a fact we should have learned many, many times over,

这是我们早该认清不知道多少次的事实

and both extremes in this debate are just wrong.

这一冲突中的两个极端都是错误的

Now, the balance that I try to fight for,

而我所要争取的一个平衡点--

I, as any good liberal, try to fight for first

我，就像任何一个称职的自由派会做的

by looking to the government. Total mistake, right?

两眼盯着政府去要。大错特错！对吗？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Looked first to the courts and the legislatures to try to get them

要先盯着法院和立法机构，先和他们谈上

to do something to make the system make more sense.

做些改变让这个系统更讲道理

It failed partly because the courts are too passive,

这么做还是不行。原因一部分是法院的消极态度

partly because the legislatures are corrupted,

一部分是立法机关痼疾缠身

by which I don't mean that there's bribery

我的意思不是他们被银子买了

operating to stop real change,

得阻止任何实质性变革

but more the economy of influence that governs how Congress functions

而是说指挥着国会日常运作的“影响力经济”在捣鬼

means that policymakers here will not understand this

政策制定者直到事情无可救药、无可置辩

until it's too late to fix it.

才能弄清楚是怎么一回事

So, we need something different, we need a different kind of solution.

所以我们要的是一种不同的解决方案

And the solution here, in my view, is a private solution,

而这一方案是民间的，私人的

a solution that looks to legalize what it is to be young again,

一个尝试着去把年轻心态重新合法化的方案

and to realize the economic potential of that,

一个从中发掘经济潜能的方案

and that's where the story of BMI becomes relevant.

这就是值得借鉴BMI故事的当儿

Because, as BMI demonstrated, competition here

因为正如BMI所显示出的，竞争

can achieve some form of balance. The same thing can happen now.

可以产生某种平衡。同样的事情现在也能发生

We don't have a public domain to draw upon now,

我们现在不能利用像广播那样的全免费公共媒介

so instead what we need is two types of changes.

因而我们需要的是两项改变

First, that artists and creators embrace the idea,

首先，艺术家和创作人开始接受

choose that their work be made available more freely.

降低价格，扩大作品覆盖面的主张

So, for example, they can say their work is available freely

打个比方，他们可以说自己的作品

for non-commercial, this amateur-type of use,

对于非盈利性，爱好者类的使用免费

but not freely for any commercial use.

但是对商业使用收费

And second, we need the businesses

第二，我们需要

that are building out this read-write culture

基于这一“读写”文化的商业项目

to embrace this opportunity expressly, to enable it,

公开地把握这个机会，给它助推力

so that this ecology of free content, or freer content,

这样为免费，或者较便宜的内容资源

can grow on a neutral platform

提供一个中立的大生态

where they both exist simultaneously,

它们得以共存

so that more-free can compete with less-free,

较便宜的和较不便宜的能够竞争

and the opportunity to develop the creativity in that competition

而在这场竞争中发挥创造力的机会

can teach one the lessons of the other.

可以让竞争的一方学到另一方的经验

Now, I would talk about one particular such plan

我本该说说一个像这样的具体计划

that I know something about,

我对它有所了解

but I don't want to violate TED's first commandment of selling,

但是不想触动TED针对推销产品的禁令

so I'm not going to talk about this at all.

所以我就不说了

I'm instead just going to remind you of the point that BMI teaches us.

我只是想再提醒大家BMI给我们上的一课

That artist choice is the key for new technology

艺术家的意见对我们的新技术

having an opportunity to be open for business,

转化为商机至关重要

and we need to build artist choice here

我们得培养艺术家们的这种观念

if these new technologies are to have that opportunity.

如果媒体编辑、传播的新技术想要有前景

But let me end with something I think much more important --

不过我想用我认为更加重要的东西作结

much more important than business.

比商机重要得多

It's the point about how this connects to our kids.

事关我们的孩子们

We have to recognize they're different from us. This is us, right?

我们得承认他们跟我们很不同。这是我们，对吧？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We made mixed tapes; they remix music.

我们制造混音磁带，他们直接混搭音乐

We watched TV; they make TV.

我们看电视，他们制作电视

It is technology that has made them different,

是科技让他们不同

and as we see what this technology can do,

当我们看到数码科技的厉害之后

we need to recognize you can't kill

我们感觉无法根除

the instinct the technology produces. We can only criminalize it.

科技带来的一种新的天性；我们只能给它定罪

We can't stop our kids from using it.

我们无法不让孩子们使用它

We can only drive it underground.

只能把它逼到地下去

We can't make our kids passive again.

我们不能把孩子们再变成被动的文化接受者

We can only make them, quote, "pirates." And is that good?

我们就把他们变成“盗版用户”。这样明智吗？

We live in this weird time. It's kind of age of prohibitions,

我们生活在一个禁令满天飞的奇怪时代

where in many areas of our life,

在生活的许多方面

we live life constantly against the law.

我们随时随地违反着无效、疲软的法规

Ordinary people live life against the law,

普通人生活中惯常违法

and that's what I -- we are doing to our kids.

我们对孩子们施加着一种影响力

They live life knowing they live it against the law.

他们知道自己生活中有法律就是障碍

That realization is extraordinarily corrosive,

这种想法一传十十传百

extraordinarily corrupting.

危害特别大

And in a democracy, we ought to be able to do better.

在一个民主社会中我们应该比这做得好

Do better, at least for them, if not for opening for business.

我们必须改变现状，就算不谈生意的话，至少为了孩子们，

Thank you very much.

多谢各位。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）