Kembrew McLeod
Production
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kembrew McLeod is an American journalist, artist, activist, and professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. He is best known as a performance artist or "media prankster" who filed an application in 1997 to register the phrase "Freedom of Expression" as a trademark in the United States. This phrase was the name of his zine/artist book series, and on January 6, 1998 McLeod was granted registration no. 2127381 in Class 16 (for "booklets in the field of creative writing"). McLeod received his PhD from University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an MA from the University of Virginia, and a BS from James Madison University. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kembrew McLeod, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more.
Copyright Criminals
The hallmarks of popular music - artist independence and diversity of voices - are threatened by a contracting marketplace of record companies, radio ownership and playlists, as well as increased use in advertising. Big-name artists, historians and economists explain how popular music is produced and marketed and critique its current state.
Money for Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music
In 1998, university professor Kembrew McLeod (Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa) trademarked the phrase "freedom of expression" - a startling comment on the way that intellectual property law restricts creativity and expression of ideas. This provocative and amusing documentary explores the battles being waged in courts, classrooms, museums, film studios, and the Internet over control of our cultural commons. Based on McLeod's award-winning book of the same title, Freedom of Expression charts the many successful attempts to push back this assault by overzealous copyright holders. Freedom of Expression is an essential tool for educators, activists, filmmakers, students, artists, librarians, and more.