CTRL + ©

Abstract

Copyright law pervades the decision making of all creative mediums in the contemporary global economy. Rather than existing as a mechanism for protecting individual creators, this current system of copyright priviledges large corporations and effectively flattens the cultural landscape by enclosing upon the public domain, restricts free cultural exchange, and narrows creative decision making. This paper and exhibition makes the argument for a critical evaluation of the current global system of copyright, primarily as driven by U.S. copyright law, and discusses the design theories and research methods behind the creation of the exhibition: CTRL + ©.