‘PBS Idea Channel’ Explores Whether ‘The LEGO Movie’ Makes a Case Against Copyright

PBS Idea Channel host Mike Rugnetta explores whether The LEGO Movie makes a case against copyright in the latest episode in the series. Rugnetta looks at how copyright touches nearly every portion of culture and how it affects the creation of something new out of something old–themes which The LEGO Movie grapples with at every turn.

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME in the LEGO™ movie, except when it isn’t and LORD BUSINESS gets in the way and wants to control everything and stifle creativity™! Emmet, Wyldstyle, Batman, and others in the movie seem completely opposed to the imposition of any sort of structure that dictates what will be built and how, which to us at Idea Channel sounds really similar to discussions around copyright law and intellectual property (IP). Are master builders just artists who make good use of the public domain? Can the LEGO movie advocate for open culture even if LEGO itself is historically opposed to it?