Prompt 14: Prepositions

Séverine Dussolier sent us three prompts after we met for an afternoon at to record a conversation with her (We might turn the conversation into a podcast. You'll find the transcript under “resources” here). Séverine has been a long time a close collaborator and inspiration to us. As a lawyer developing critical approaches to copyright and IP, she brings a particular perspective.

In her first prompt, she proposes to reconsider the relationship between copyright and collective practice asking whether a move from the singular to plural would be sufficient.

"REMINDER TO CURRENT AND FUTURE AUTHORS: The authored work released under the CC4r was never yours to begin with. The CC4r considers authorship to be part of a collective cultural effort and rejects authorship as ownership derived from individual genius. This means to recognize that it is situated in social and historical conditions and that there may be reasons to refrain from release and re-use." (Collective Condition for Reuse)

If copyright can be said to convey the following:

• This work is mine: copyright as ownership, as property right
• This work is me: copyright as personality right
• This work is by me: copyright as a derivation from individual genius, moral right of attribution/paternity
  
• This work is from me: attribution of a work to me / originality conceived as an author’s own creation
  
• This work is to me: exclusive rights granted by copyright
• This work ...: ... (adding prepositions is allowed)

What could CC4r convey? Is it sufficient to change mine to ours, me to us?