Artur Matuck

Challenging Intellectual Property

Theories and Statutes

 

E-writing (electronic writing) generates theories, practices and computer applications that evolve and continuously redefine our perspective on writing. The genealogy of writing is being redefined considering that mind-net interactions are now prevalent in writing processes.

Texts can be printed, digital, web-present, virtual; they are becoming trans-local, collective, distributed, interconnected and hyperlinked. Traditionally considered enclosed objects, they can now be seen as potential sources for re-information, matrixes for interrelation and reconstruction. E-writing tools will challenge deep-rooted cultural habits at the base of our language and thought processes. An intense focus on language will trigger in-depth research into new forms of textual processing. E-writing reconceives individual authorship into a multi-dividual, socio-machinic, planetwide process. Once e-writing becomes widespread and acknowledged in theory, collective web-based writing, machine-assisted and machine-generated authorship will be investigated as human developmental tools.

Writing, and by extension thinking, science, design, expression, artmaking, architecture, economics and philosophy will be more and more understood as a dialogical process between human abilities and machine-mediated actions.

As we let our imagination delve into these future forms of thinking, we come to the conclusion that instituted theories, enforced by legal systems, act as insurmountable obstacles to the advancement of creativity, authorship and invention. The problem is that legal theories and legislations, ingrained in almost unchangeable statutes, restrain emerging collaborative authorship models and practices. Thus, current intellectual property values and legal theories will be obliged to readapt to new forms of authorship involving human machine integration.