Metaphors and Norms - Understanding Copyright Law in a Digital Society
(2011) In Lund Studies in Sociology of Law 36.- Abstract
- This is a compilation thesis in the sociology of law, which analyses copyright law in three steps; the legal norms, the social norms and the underlying conceptions in their metaphorical representation. These three steps assist in answering the overarching question: "How do legal and social norms relate to each other in terms of the conceptions from which they emanate or by which they are constructed, and what is the role played by the explicit metaphors that express these norms?"
The thesis shows how the development of copyright in Europe, when faced with the digital challenge, has been resiliently path dependent (Infosoc, IPRED and more). In the thesis, this legal trend is put in contrast to the measured social norm... (More) - This is a compilation thesis in the sociology of law, which analyses copyright law in three steps; the legal norms, the social norms and the underlying conceptions in their metaphorical representation. These three steps assist in answering the overarching question: "How do legal and social norms relate to each other in terms of the conceptions from which they emanate or by which they are constructed, and what is the role played by the explicit metaphors that express these norms?"
The thesis shows how the development of copyright in Europe, when faced with the digital challenge, has been resiliently path dependent (Infosoc, IPRED and more). In the thesis, this legal trend is put in contrast to the measured social norm strength of unauthorised file sharing before and after the implementation of IPRED in Sweden in 2009. The results show that although unauthorised file-sharing decreased to some extent, in line with the manifest purpose of the directive, the social norm that corresponds to copyright remained extremely weak. This is indicative of the undeniably existing gap between the legal and the social norms of copyright. Consequences of this gap are shown in the thesis. This gap concerns how the digitalisation of society not only affects norms, but also our language and mind, which is studied in the metaphors that are constructed from underlying conceptions. All of these are relevant to law and legal analysis, especially in transitional times.
In an attempt to explain parts of why there is such a distinct gap, the thesis proposes a metaphor and conceptions theory to complement the study of norms, by elaborating on findings in cognitive linguistics. It is argued that metaphors in law, and the underlying conceptions they relate to, are of vital importance for understanding contemporary issues in copyright, especially in the transition from regulating an analogue situation to regulating a digital one. The argument here is that how copyright is conceptualised controls how it is regulated and, in this case, leads to lock-in and dependence around certain metaphors that do not function well with the conditions found in a digital society. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Vad är det med upphovsrätten som inte fungerar i det digitala samhället? Vad är det som gör att miljoner människor just i fallet med fildelning tycker att det är okej att bryta mot lagen? Och, sett från det omvända perspektivet, vad är det som gör att lagen inte klarar av att anpassa sig efter de nya digitala praktikerna? Varför denna inlåsning och detta tillbakablickande?
Det här är en sammanläggningsavhandling i rättssociologi som - via fyra artiklar och en kappa - dels visar hur upphovsrätten förstärks och breddas när den möter den digitala utmaningen, och dels visar hur de sociala normerna är exceptionellt svaga på just det här området. En delstudie rör exempelvis de... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Vad är det med upphovsrätten som inte fungerar i det digitala samhället? Vad är det som gör att miljoner människor just i fallet med fildelning tycker att det är okej att bryta mot lagen? Och, sett från det omvända perspektivet, vad är det som gör att lagen inte klarar av att anpassa sig efter de nya digitala praktikerna? Varför denna inlåsning och detta tillbakablickande?
Det här är en sammanläggningsavhandling i rättssociologi som - via fyra artiklar och en kappa - dels visar hur upphovsrätten förstärks och breddas när den möter den digitala utmaningen, och dels visar hur de sociala normerna är exceptionellt svaga på just det här området. En delstudie rör exempelvis de sociala normerna innan och efter IPRED infördes i Sverige. En annan delstudie visar hur IPRED påverkar användningen av kryptering för att bli mer anonym på nätet.
I syfte att förklara denna tydliga klyfta mellan de rättsliga och de sociala normerna utvecklar Stefan Larsson i sin avhandling en teori om hur metaforer och underliggande tankestrukturer relaterar till just normer. Han visar hur vissa rättsliga metaforer nästan omärkligt förändrats i sin betydelse i övergången till det digitala och hur detta lett till en konflikt mellan de underliggande tankestrukturerna i upphovsrättslagen relaterat till de sociala normerna. Föreställningar om verkligheten idag stämmer inte överens med de föreställningar som dominerade när upphovsrätten växte fram. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2157989
- author
- Larsson, Stefan LU
- supervisor
-
- Håkan Hydén LU
- Måns Svensson LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Ljungberg, Jan, Tillämpad IT, Göteborgs universitet
- organization
- publishing date
- 2011
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- IPRED, copyright, file sharing, conceptual metaphor theory, path dependence, skeumorphs, conceptions, Norms, metaphors, InfoSoc, online anonymity, digital society.
- in
- Lund Studies in Sociology of Law
- volume
- 36
- pages
- 262 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Pufendorfsalen, Lilla Gråbrödersgatan 3C, Lund
- defense date
- 2011-10-14 13:15:00
- ISSN
- 1403-7246
- ISBN
- 91-7267-335-4
- project
- Cybernorms. Norm processes in e-communities
- Metaphors and Norms - Understanding Copyright Law in a Digital Society
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 66880b7b-883e-4df0-8dd4-8d3376bfbd9a (old id 2157989)
- alternative location
- http://lupak.srv.lu.se/Bokprojekt/visaBok.asp?isbn=91-7267-335-4
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:24:37
- date last changed
- 2019-05-21 20:23:15
@phdthesis{66880b7b-883e-4df0-8dd4-8d3376bfbd9a,
abstract = {{This is a compilation thesis in the sociology of law, which analyses copyright law in three steps; the legal norms, the social norms and the underlying conceptions in their metaphorical representation. These three steps assist in answering the overarching question: "How do legal and social norms relate to each other in terms of the conceptions from which they emanate or by which they are constructed, and what is the role played by the explicit metaphors that express these norms?"<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The thesis shows how the development of copyright in Europe, when faced with the digital challenge, has been resiliently path dependent (Infosoc, IPRED and more). In the thesis, this legal trend is put in contrast to the measured social norm strength of unauthorised file sharing before and after the implementation of IPRED in Sweden in 2009. The results show that although unauthorised file-sharing decreased to some extent, in line with the manifest purpose of the directive, the social norm that corresponds to copyright remained extremely weak. This is indicative of the undeniably existing gap between the legal and the social norms of copyright. Consequences of this gap are shown in the thesis. This gap concerns how the digitalisation of society not only affects norms, but also our language and mind, which is studied in the metaphors that are constructed from underlying conceptions. All of these are relevant to law and legal analysis, especially in transitional times. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
In an attempt to explain parts of why there is such a distinct gap, the thesis proposes a metaphor and conceptions theory to complement the study of norms, by elaborating on findings in cognitive linguistics. It is argued that metaphors in law, and the underlying conceptions they relate to, are of vital importance for understanding contemporary issues in copyright, especially in the transition from regulating an analogue situation to regulating a digital one. The argument here is that how copyright is conceptualised controls how it is regulated and, in this case, leads to lock-in and dependence around certain metaphors that do not function well with the conditions found in a digital society.}},
author = {{Larsson, Stefan}},
isbn = {{91-7267-335-4}},
issn = {{1403-7246}},
keywords = {{IPRED; copyright; file sharing; conceptual metaphor theory; path dependence; skeumorphs; conceptions; Norms; metaphors; InfoSoc; online anonymity; digital society.}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Studies in Sociology of Law}},
title = {{Metaphors and Norms - Understanding Copyright Law in a Digital Society}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/3961818/2158125.pdf}},
volume = {{36}},
year = {{2011}},
}