Copiez ce livre

A practical and critical guide written by an artist for artists, designers, creators and makers, with which Dutch graphic artist and free movement activist Eric Schrijver presents his militant vision of copyright.

At a time when artists are grappling with changes in copyright law and the complexities of copying in their day-to-day practices, Eric Schrijver’s Copy this book has been translated into French and published by Les commissaires anonymes.

The book takes a practical yet critical approach to guiding readers through the various concepts of copyright and how they apply. It takes the form of a volume divided into five thematic chapters, supported by concrete examples and illustrated with royalty-free images and original creations by the author.

Copiez ce livre answers questions such as: How do I obtain copyright? For what types of work? And for how long? How does copyright apply to different media? And how can you integrate other artists’ work into your own?

The book also details the concepts of a work’s parentage and original creation, which define current legal systems. It offers conceptual tools for participating in contemporary debates on intellectual property.

Throughout its pages, Copiez ce livre presents real-life situations: artists and designers, conceptualists and creators confronted with the legal conditions of their field. While tracing the legal gains and losses of many creators, known and unknown, it also shows how legal considerations can in turn influence artistic processes and the works of art themselves. Discover how David Bowie altered his music to avoid angering George Orwell’s copyright holders, why Sherrie Levine chose to copy photographer Ansel Adams, and why the Wu-Tang Clan released a one-off album.

The book helps politicize the exhibition, circulation and commercialization of works in society, so that artists can choose (and not suffer) how to make their work public.

“This sharp and useful book highlights the rights every artist has to protect and share their work. Eric Schrijver has written here an essential guide to navigating between the new Commons and the laws governing conventional copyright.”
Ellen Lupton