Copyright Utopia Contest...Winners Announced

The Center for Intellectual Property is excited to announce the winners of its first contest!

We wanted to know what individual producers of creative content envisioned a perfect copyright future might look...or sound...like. We asked artists and musicians from around the country to re-imagine and share their future for copyrighted media. “How would they want their creative works to be used? What future do they envision in the use of creative works by scholars and community artists? ...” We were interested in how music, poetry, videos/films, essays, paintings, sculptures, photographic images--or any other media format--might be employed to help us think about our theme of copyright utopia.

The CIP is pleased to announce the winning entry of the CIP 2007 Contest is the song "Voice of Creativity" submitted by:

• Elaine Whelan
• Ellen Schwartz
• Roger Bruno

Listen Here:

Elaine wrote the lyrics for "Voice of Creativity" while cousins Roger and Ellen composed and performed the music.

Elaine Whelan is President of Mainstreet Systems & Software, Inc., and the author of My Mom’s Making History--The story of computers, copyrights and creativity a book based on the U.S. Supreme Court case (Whelan V. Jaslow) which confirmed the use of copyright laws to protect computer software. In addition, she has developed a seminar on the history and purpose of copyrights that is now a part of Penn State University’s Outreach program.

As writers on staff with publishing giant Warner Chappell, Roger Bruno and Ellen Schwartz, wrote songs for an eclectic array of award winning recording artists including Nancy Wilson, Cher, Pat Benatar, Teddy Pendergrass, Angela Bofill, Agnetha Foltskog of ABBA and Martha Davis of the Motels, among others, and their songs have been heard on TV shows including Fame, General Hospital and As The World Turns. They perform regularly and have opened for Janis Ian.

In speaking of her copyright journey Ms. Whelan writes:

“Urged to record my memories about the {Supreme Court} case, my research led me to writing for students and others who were not intellectual property professionals. My own education had been extensive and of high quality but nowhere in its contents was there anything concerning copyrights other than giving research sources credit in research paper and essay bibliographies. The word “copyright” was barely mentioned.”

She goes on to say,

“My copyright utopia would have IP professionals work with educators to develop in-depth, age-appropriate lessons, programs and materials on the history, purpose and issues of copyrights. These lessons would begin at an early age and continue at a steady beat throughout the years. They would become part of a student’s courses in history, art, music, computers, character-building, democracy and all other topics where copyrights and creativity have a role.

Ms. Whelan feels that her winning song, “Voice of Creativity” could possibly serve as a replacement for the now outdated “Don’t Copy that Floppy!” a children’s song used in school programs and created in 1992 by the Software & Information Industry Association. Ms. Whelan says that “The new production, “Voice of Creativity” was designed to honor creativity and those that have come before us.” It includes sample quotations but was designed to have students add their own words.