Many of us have watched in amazement as Shia LaBeouf has exposed himself as the pretentious, self-absorbed, entitled, plagiarist that he is ever since he has been publicly called out for his direct swipe of Dan Clowes comic Justin M. Damiano which LaBeauf adapted, uncredited and unauthorized into a short film titled HowardCantour.com.
Further scrutiny has proven that there is little that LaBeouf has ever created that was not lifted from somewhere else. Even his apologies were swiped!
An incriminating list of LaBeouf’s transgressions can be found here.
LaBeouf went on the defensive in this interview with Rich Johnston declaring that, “Authorship is Censorship” seemingly championing the perspective of Creative Commons.
Now he has gone on the offensive by antagonizing Dan Clowes with more blatant plagiarism of his work.
LaBeouf’s actions are so extreme they reek of publicity stunt and have even been compared to performance art, but could they be something much more subversive?
While he mocks and trivializes plagiarism, piracy and copyright law, infuriating copyright owners and creators, everywhere he is galvanizing a pro-copyright , anti-piracy sentiment that will empower the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), “a secretive, multi-national trade agreement that threatens to extend restrictive intellectual property (IP) laws across the globe and rewrite international rules on its enforcement.”
The TPP will crush the internet by restricting users’ freedom of speech and right to privacy and due process. It will limit creative innovation by stalling public domain transitions. Worst of all, it is a non-transparent manipulation by corporations to control intellectual property and end users in an effort to protect their own bottom line at the expense of personal and creative freedoms.
Shia LaBeouf is a very public and extreme example of what the TPP wants us all to believe they are protecting against. His actions and words play into their hands every time he is demonized by the press or by any one of us blogging or commenting against him.
It is time to maintain a rational perspective and pay close attention to the ramifications of the TPP. This agreement needs to be shut down the same way SOPA was and for the same reasons. Take the time to learn about and understand copyright law and its history. Learn about the virtues of public domain. Be concerned about your rights as an internet user. Above all maintain, a perspective of moderation to avoid becoming an irrational extremist like LaBeouf.
Shia LeBeouf is dangerous if his ridiculous antics create an atmosphere that cost us all what we have come to enjoy and use as the greatest tool of expression in the history of the planet: the internet as we know it. Don’t be fooled! His actions may be “more than meets the eye.”
Making Comics Because We Want to,
Gerry Giovinco
