Should music and other art forms be part of the public domain? My answer is yes. The public should have access to these art forms and should be able to alter them if they wish. The reason people express themselves artistically is both for personal gain and for public popularity. By exposing art, the artist is essentially sharing the art with the public. Girl talk simply took segments of songs and mixed them up, altering the sound on the computer to make them sound different. He created something new out of something already present. I personally would not do that because there is no need to change Michael Jackson's music. But I don't think using a song and altering it is any different than what Lady Gaga has done with Born This Way, which is very Madonna sounding. Personally, I don't think what Girl Talk has done and what Lady Gaga has done is necessarily as impressive as other art forms because it absolutely relies on another form. I mean, I thought it was a little silly that Lady Gaga was literally trying to be Madonna, not just act like her, in that song and music video. She even leaned in close to the camera at the end of the video and showed a gap between her two front teeth. But on the other hand, it is a hit song, and I haven't heard Madonna complaining. The point is, every artist is influenced by someone or something. But it does not mean that they are all just copy cats. In Enrique Iglesias's two hit songs, Tonight I'm Lovin' You and I Like It, he says the lines "please excuse me if I'm comin too strong" and "please excuse me I don't mean to be rude." Britney Spear's song which came out a little later literally usese the line "You over there, please forgive me if I'm coming on too strong." And I don't think it's a coincidence. But who cares. Artists influence each other. Whenever I am in art class I always paint swirls of blue and green and stars. Yeah, I got the idea from Vincent Van Gogh. Sue me (not that you would since I'm not famous and that my artwork is very metiocre, but you get the point). When people put their ideas out there, they are best to expect that others may use them.