Movie Info
What does stealing sound like?

Who draws the line between creativity and commerce?

Copyright Criminals is a one-hour broadcast documentary that examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, and the adjacent debates regarding artistic expression, copyright law, and, (of course), money. This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from a concept in the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record labels got involved, what was once referred to as "borrowed melody" became "copyright infringement." Now, as artists find increasingly inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, Copyright Criminals asks a critical question, on behalf of an entire industry: Can you own a sound?