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My brother is a DJ and his PS is on his interest in and perspective, as a mashup/remix artist, on intellectual property laws. The essay itself is well-written, but he admits to pirating and illegally sampling... Is it advisable to submit the PS? He doesn't really profit from his music--he releases his stuff for free and does tons of gigs pro bono for charities and activist groups. And his experience as a musician really was the impetus for his decision to apply to law school. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

no.. dumb

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I guess Lawrence Lessig is dumb, too.

Admitting to breaking the law for something that you haven't been caught for is indeed very dumb.

On the other hand, admitting to breaking the law for something that you have been caught for is mandatory (though still a bad idea for a PS).

alexdelarge wrote:Thanks for the thoughtful response. I guess Lawrence Lessig is dumb, too.

Straw man? He or she just said your brother admitting to illegal activity is dumb, which it is.

alexdelarge wrote:Thanks for the thoughtful response. I guess Lawrence Lessig is dumb, too.

Sorry, I don't usually give much thought to terrible ideas.

OK, thanks. What if he discusses the practice in general, but doesn't explicitly talk about his own work? I mean, anyone who goes through the statement and his resume can still infer that he does sample... That's at the core of the genre.

alexdelarge wrote:OK, thanks. What if he discusses the practice in general, but doesn't explicitly talk about his own work? I mean, anyone who goes through the statement and his resume can still infer that he does sample... That's at the core of the genre.

This is what I was going to suggest, if he is set on doing it. Speaking generally about the stuff without actually saying "I steal all sorts of music off the internet" seems more tactful. But it's still a risk. Whether it's viewed as interesting and insightful or an egregious lack of judgment will depend on whose desk it happens to land on.

Word. Thanks.

cubswin wrote:

alexdelarge wrote:OK, thanks. What if he discusses the practice in general, but doesn't explicitly talk about his own work? I mean, anyone who goes through the statement and his resume can still infer that he does sample... That's at the core of the genre.

This is what I was going to suggest, if he is set on doing it. Speaking generally about the stuff without actually saying "I steal all sorts of music off the internet" seems more tactful. But it's still a risk. Whether it's viewed as interesting and insightful or an egregious lack of judgment will depend on whose desk it happens to land on.