Vol. 4 (2018): post(s) 4
Akademos

The Paradoxes of Piracy

Ramón Lobato
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Bio

Published 2018-12-21

Keywords

  • Piracy,
  • copyright critique,
  • intellectual property,
  • informality,
  • global media

How to Cite

Lobato, R. (2018). The Paradoxes of Piracy. Post(s), 4(1). https://doi.org/10.18272/posts.v4i1.1312

Abstract

Speaking about piracy as a thing, as a coherent practice, makes sense in certain situations. Yet it can also erase the difference between cultural and media practices that would be better considered on their own terms. Hence piracy often becomes a stand-in for incommensurable activities. This paper offers a critical review of the ongoing "¹piracy debate"º by focusing on a particular problem that runs through the current conversation "”a problem of naming. Specifically, I want to consider what is at stake in the term "˜piracy"™ itself. The aim here is not only to make the usual point about the "˜pirate"™ label "”that it criminalises everyday activities"” but rather to explore a more subtle tension within the critical counter-discourse on intellectual property, about whether a language of "˜piracy"™ should be embraced, rejected, recuperated or rearticulated.

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