Copy/Culture

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West. Premsela conducts research on attitudes to copying in design and industry's search for new ways of dealing with it. Learn more about Copy/Culture and stay up to date at premsela.org and on iTunes, Facebook, Vimeo and Twitter.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West. Premsela conducts research on attitudes to copying in design and industry's search for new ways of dealing with it. Learn more about Copy/Culture and stay up to date at premsela.org and on iTunes, Facebook, Vimeo and Twitter.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West.

Copy/Culture Beijing was organised on September 27th during the Beijing Design Week, focusing mainly on cultural aspects of copying. During Copy/Culture Berlin, held during the DMY International Design Festival on the 4th of June, the emphasis layed on political economy and we discussed attitudes to copying and industry's responses to it. Copy/Culture Istanbul will take place in the spring of 2012. All locations are connected through their hybrid geographical position and by their diverse design fields, dealing with both influences from East and West

Appropriation-based art forms, such as sampling, collage, remixing, modding and mashups, have gone mainstream in recent years. While many in the business and legal communities frame these cultures as "piracy" or "infringement", practitioners are developing a more nuanced ethical framework. Sinnreich will present new research analyzing these emerging ethical codes and explore their significance for law, industry and society. Aram Sinnreich is an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University.

"If you want to make financial gain out of somebody else his work, that's nasty shit, that's rip-off." Erik Spiekermann co-founded MetaDesign in 1979 and later FontShop International with Neville Brody, which has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers of digital typefaces worldwide. Spiekermann received numerous awards for his work, including the German Design Prize for Lifetime Achievement 2011.

Understanding China's "copying problem" entails thinking beyond conventional wisdom and clichés. Not to do so would be to incorrectly view culture as static, China as peculiarly idiosyncratic, and authenticity as a nonnegotiable concept. In fact, China's copying culture may harbour the seeds of innovation. Aric Chen is an independent design curator and publicist. He is also the creative director of Beijing Design Week 2011.