Patents are not good.
Recently I discovered an interesting piece of software created by Kenji Kojima called RGB MusicLab. Simply put, you load an image, set a few options and sliders, and it outputs music (and midi files) based on the RGB values from the image. The mapping can be super simple, or quite complex with variations across multiple instruments and tracks. Simple, funny, interesting, weird, valuable (maybe). The software runs on Mac/PC and is (or was, read on) available as freeware
The author of the application has published some basic music studies investigating the relation Colors and Sounds. You can check a few of them online.
Now the bad part. If you try to access the site now, you get to a blank page, with the following message:
Dear people,
I was informed that I had to remove RGB MusicLab from the web site from a person who had a patent that enabling the interpretation of color as music. I have never known it was a patent technology. And I believed it belonged to all humankind. Moreover RGB MusicLab was realized by many other great technologies of anonymous. Though I have to remove it by the US law.
I’m no lawyer or patent guru, but this is ridiculous and totally beyond any level of understanding if you ask me. How come such a basic process can be protected by a patent? Mapping sound based on color values, pixels into music, common! Mr. Kojima is distributing his application for free. He is not abusing someone else’s IP with commercial intent (and monetary benefits).
Anyways, I hope that the software will be available again online soon. I usually have some level of respect for IP and such, but now this is too much.
How do you feel about this? Will you apply for patents like this if you become a successful designer creating new tech marvels?
Some links:
Mac version I have on my computer: RGBMusicLabMac_30
http://lifehacker.com/5438895/rgb-musiclab-turns-photos-into-music
http://infosthetics.com/archives/2007/11/rgb_musiclab_pixels_into_music.html
