Copyright Criminals Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS

Posted on January 19, 2010
"What's the difference between creative 'borrowing' and outright theft? The Independent Lens documentary Copyright Criminals offers a thought-provoking discussion of the subject filtered through a history of hip-hop 'sampling' culture." - United Features Syndicate Can you own a sound? As hip-hop rose from the streets of New York to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists such as Public Enemy and De La Soul began reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. Years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity and technological change that still rages today. Copyright Criminals premieres tonight, January 19, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). Learn more about Copyright Criminals and other special Music Month programs >>

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