DeVoss and Porter

DeVoss and Porter work towards an understanding of the cultural impact of Napster and the ripple effect that it has had on the academic community, particularly the teaching of writing and rhetoric. With the idea that the emergence of Napster caused a cultural shift in the way that people, especially students, deal with and understand printed material, DeVoss and Porter connect the copyright crisis to writing instruction. With this shift in mind, the authors reiterate the initial understanding of copyright law. As it was originally conceived, copyright law was meant to balance the interests of authors, publishers, and their readers. DeVoss and Porter argue that we, as a society, have lost sight of the original aims of the law and that as a result we are sacrificing information and media that should be available to the public. Furthermore, since the attack is already well underway on those who infringe on entertainment copyrights, the academic world, that necessitates a free exchange of information, is the next field at risk.

By hindering the free transference of information between academics, DeVoss and Porter fear that the creativity of the academic community will be stifled by less exposure to new ideas and thoughts. The reality that these authors see is the opposite of the more utopian ideas of Lessig. For Lessig, in an ideal situation, all culture would freely available to whomever was interested. This idea encourages an understanding of piracy as productive and innovative, yielding more positive things for society than negatively taking away from them.

Ultimately, DeVoss and Porter are calling for an altered understanding of the relationship from writing an object to publishing. In the post Napster era, the publication process takes on new levels of meaning and begins to resemble something more free form and constantly evolving. This contradicts current academic models of publication, but speaks to technological advancements that allow for more up to date information. As a result of this changing model, DeVoss and Porter call for a change in the understanding and teaching of plagiarism in the writing classroom. Rather than merely discouraging the act, the authors encourage teachers to instruct their students to think of their own writing as something that is inherently formed by their experiences and exposure to other writing, music, video etc... Rather than understanding that borrowing from any other source and working it into their own object is plagiarism, students should be encouraged to understand their place in the academic world, and appreciate that all writing is influenced by something else, including famous pieces of written works or culture.