Johnson-Eilola and Selber introduces the idea of the distinction between plagiarism and a concept they call “assemblage.” Assemblage, in relation to remix, draws upon the relationship between the “original” text- what was composed by the author- and the borrowed concepts/phrases/themes/characters etc that come from other places. The specific definition used by the authors for assemblage helps to connect to the idea of remix, in that, (as far as remixed music goes) an explicit part of the song is utilized to create a new one that is reminiscent of the original; this is thus enforced by the idea of a postmodern analysis of pre-existing texts. The “look back” that a postmodern analysis offers is the exact situation that can elicit the birth of a remix. As stated in the article, a “narrow perspective” on plagiarism is prevalent today, almost to the point where it is a taboo to be accused of taking part is such a heinous act. Sites such as turnitin.com and plagtracker.com prevent the most glaring of plagiarism violations. This “plagiarism” is a direct threat to various forms of originality. It seems that the arbitrary line gets drawn wherever the person “in charge” draws it: for instance, a student (or person doing the composing) does not hold the power to determine when something moves from the spectrum of plagiarism into the spectrum of originality. If Andy Warhol had been sued by Herberton L. Williams (had he been alive at the time), for plagiarizing the Campbell’s soup label, a fine piece of artwork would have been lost in translation as a result. It is thus a threat to creativity to distinguish something as an original or as a plagiarism.
WC: 286
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