The emergence of digital media that facilitate the reproduction of an original has led to the disintegration of concepts such as “artist,” “artwork,” and “copyright.” Just who does an “artwork” belong to, and what is the best way for it to be circulated? Based on artists’ actual experiences, the current digital revolution was discussed from the various angles of law, economics, philosophy, and engineering. The first session included FUJIHATA Masaki, who supports putting artworks in the public domain, ANZAI Toshihiro, an advocate for “share-art,” the computer programmer HIKICHI Nobuyuki, who is working toward the goal of promoting the circulation of free software, and the lawyer MATSUDA Masayuki, who is involved in copyright deliberations at the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The future of the copyrights of artworks was discussed.
Excerpted from “ICC Concept Book,” NTT Publishing, 1997