"The Ecstasy of Influence" by Jonathan Lethem

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated.."
- John Donne (?)

I feel it is necessary to re-state this quotation which begins the essay, for my own (digital) record and to the game Lethem describes as 'Give All'.

Lethem addresses our historical and cultural framework of personal creativity. In that, the contemporary construction of personal or private ownership reveals "an ongoing social negotiation, tenuously forged, endlessly revised and imperfect in its every incarnation." Through laws and regulation, copyright has successful altered intellectual property while simultaneously closing the connection between inspiration and legality. In "You can't steal a gift," Lethem evaluates how the value, or emotion attachment of some copyright property cannot be bought, sold or produced. Rather, our subjective worth we place into situations and environments "conveys an uncommodifiable surplus of inspiration." The absolute of such 'property' as All Rights Reserved or Copyright seems absurd, in that it halts the exploration of exploration itself.

In the digital age, our culture is constantly being remixed. Remix is a part of the consumer/producer model currently at play in culture. We live within a cut/copy/paste society dating back through all of history, which is itself an issue of re-appropriation. Some examples of how we view the word Copyright:

http://www.copyright.gov/
http://del.icio.us/tag/copyright
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

If these all mean or relate to the understanding of Copyright, then which is right, or which is copyright, or which is the copyright of copyright? The paradox of progression as a human race lies within issues like Copyright, which limits collective public information and creativity. All valuable 'original ideas and concepts' call upon the remediation or plagiarism of a prior historically old 'original idea and concept'. This unity we need to share in order to facilitate a healthy, strong community builds upon the model of the past. Therefore, history is constantly re-writing itself, assuming our roles (intellectually and physically) as a necessary part of history's existence.

"Don't pirate my editions; do plunder my visions. The name of the game is Give All. You, reader, are welcome to my stories. They were never mine in the first place, but I gave them to you. If you have the inclination to pick them up, take them with my blessing." - Jonathan Lethem (?)