Copyright Criminals (2009)

Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling including the related debates over artistic expression copyright law and of course money This documentary traces the rise of hiphop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibilliondollar industry For more than thirty years innovative hiphop performers and producers have been reusing portions of previously recorded music in new otherwise original compositions When lawyers and record companies got involved what was once referred to as a borrowed melody became a copyright infringement The film showcases many of hiphop musics founding figures like Public Enemy De La Soul and Digital Undergroundwhile also featuring emerging hiphop artists from record labels Definitive Jux Rhymesayers Ninja Tune and more