The advent of the Internet has made possible the rapid dissemination of vast quantities of information. In such a high-tech, connected environment, knowledge and culture are becoming increasingly easy to access and share. A newcomer on campus, Students for Free Culture (SFC) was established in April 2009. It embraces and welcomes the free spread of information on the Internet. “We are all about promoting greater access to art, culture and information,” said Adi Kamdar, CC ’12, President of SFC, “We do not, however, support piracy: The ‘free’ in ‘free culture’ is like the ‘free’ in ‘free speech,’ and not as in ‘free beer.’”

“Current copyright laws are outdated and vague,” said Kamdar. “They’re incompatible with current technology—we would love to see these laws revamped and updated to accurately reflect our current technological circumstances.” The group believes that these outdated copyright laws stifle creativity and the flow of information, which is highly undesirable in an academic environment such as Yale’s. Specifically, the group is currently promoting open access to the university’s plethora of academic journals.

Presently, the Open Yale Courses (OYC) project has allowed free access to certain courses taught at Yale. The OYC is committed to expanding its repository of freely available courses online. “We remain committed to this initiative and the part it plays in Yale’s mission to create and disseminate knowledge and to share its academic treasures worldwide,” said Dunham Professor of History of Art and Classics, Diana Kleiner, who spearheaded the initiative.

There are copyright restrictions and other barriers that prevent the OYC from delivering a full visual experience. “Intellectual property remains among the most challenging issues for a project of this type because materials faculty routinely use in a password protected on-campus milieu are not necessarily translatable into an online environment,” Kleiner said.

Despite the OYC and its attempts at creating a free Yale for the online public, most of Yale’s academic journals remain unavailable to the public. Critics of Yale’s decision to keep its publications restricted claim that this action is antithetical to the university’s mission. “I don’t see any drawback to sharing these courses globally since, in this information-based world, ready access to high quality information has never been more important,” Kleiner said.

Yet opponents of such open access schemes cite financial justifications for not allowing would-be readers free access to university publications. Without subscription fees to fund publishing costs, journals would have to turn elsewhere to procure funding. Certain costs, such as those associated with peer review and the maintenance of information infrastructure, are vital to an academic journal’s quality.

In order to foster dialogue and debate on the subject, SFC is hosting Open Access Week in late October. Activities planned include panel discussions on the merits and detriments of open access, as well as activities designed to raise general awareness of free culture and Creative Commons, which allows artists and authors to waive certain copyright restrictions on their own works. Open Access Week is only one of the many events that SFC has planned; one of their most prominent events is a scheduled talk by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, scheduled to occur next Wed., Oct. 7. The event is highly anticipated; Kamdar revealed that, although there has been no advertising on campus, the event is already overbooked, and the group would have to find a larger venue than Sudler Hall for Wales.

SFC does not concern itself solely with the serious academic implications of copyright law and intellectual property. One of the most controversial debates in the music industry today involves the use of copyrighted music in remixes and mash-ups. The group would also like to push for a new, clearer definition of “fair use,” as well as a loosening of copyright law to allow for the remixing of copyrighted music. SFC is also attempting to invite a representative of Viacom, who was embroiled in a billion-dollar lawsuit against YouTube, to speak about the digital distribution of media and the company’s high-profile lawsuit. On the less serious front, the group is also planning dance parties (floating and non-floating) to promote remix culture. There is even talk of Nate Donmoyer, drummer of Passion Pit and remix enthusiast, coming to DJ a party.

With its ambitious goals and creative methods of advertisement, SFC is aiming to make an impact on campus within the coming months. “We want to clear up any misconceptions that people have about free culture,” said Kamdar. “It’s not about obtaining free things. It’s not about stealing other people’s work. It’s about making information, knowledge, and art freely available to the public. This is the most integral function of a university. It only makes sense that Yale should allow its research to be freely disseminated among the general public.”

By Bowen Zhang