is that although laws are getting tougher pretty much all over the Western world, quietly our definition of fair use is expanding.

Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, just released Feed The Animals, his latest tapestry of music that shouldn’t work but somehow does (Even ODB over Come On Eileen seems to make sense). No cease and desist letters have gone out yet.

Last year Soulja Boy’s Crank Dat was huge, and spawned a slew of user generated videos featuring cartoon characters lip-synching along. Shrek, Dora, Mario, Spongebob, Cartman and many others got super-manned by fans. Every major Hollywood studio had at least one of their cartoon franchises ripped off, but not one of them bothered to issue a cease and desist notice.

Yes, many law-makers and politicians are making some bad decisions about copyright. But culture has shifted regardless. Our definitions of fair use and copyright have changed in our minds already, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

I think this battle is already won.