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I know very little about blockchain technology other than the high points, but this statement really intrigued me: "The defining characteristic of anything dig

I know very little about blockchain technology other than the high points, but this statement really intrigued me: "The defining characteristic of anything digital is its zero marginal cost…Bitcoin and the breakthrough it represents, broadly speaking, changes all that. For the first time something can be both digital and unique, without any real world representation." My question is this: is this the solution to our ongoing problem of not being able to properly reward the creation of digital goods because they can be infinitely reproduced ? I know that this could be considered bad news by a lot of people that use such digital goods for free, but this type of technology can't help but be a net positive benefit for everyone, if true. Especially since we're seeing a future in which more and more people will experience the ill effects of automation on their jobs and careers.

pishpash 9y ago
No. That statement is silly. Unique and digital was always possible.
- RealityVoid 9y ago
  How was it alwys possible? I'm honestly curious, this seems like it doesn't have an obvious solution. This time it's provably unique ownership.
  - pishpash 9y ago
    Unique ownership is proved by signing with a unique digital signature, long possible. You must be thinking of something else entirely.
    - benchaney 9y ago
      Signatures don't prove ownership. The prove agreement. Ownership is an entirely different concept.
    - RealityVoid 9y ago
      Unless I'm missing something by signing a digital signature, you're not proving ownership, you're proving identity, a somewhat different concept. If I think a little deeper, it is true, you're proving identity by proving ownership of a private key, but the goal of crypto is proving ownership based on previous peer-agreed ownership by proving identity by proving ownership of a private key. Or maybe I'm just full of shit, but It intuitively feels different than just signing something.
    - VMG 9y ago
      You're right, the innovation is however the transfer of ownership without a trusted third party.
primodemus 9y ago
https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/07/blockchain-could-completely-transform-the-music-industry/ https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/07/blockchain-could-complete...
- TimJYoung 9y ago
  Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for.
- harryh 9y ago
  Everything in #3 in that link is silly. In now way can the blockchain be used to prevent music piracy.
benchaney 9y ago
> My question is this: is this the solution to our ongoing problem of not being able to properly reward the creation of digital goods because they can be infinitely reproduced No. Blockchains allow abstract concepts that can't be reproduced, but the data makes up the concepts can still be reproduced just like any other piece of data. In fact every mining node has a complete copy of the Blockchain.
- TimJYoung 9y ago
  Thanks. So, it's basically like DRM and requires the cooperation of the music player software, etc. to enforce copy protections.
  - RexetBlell 9y ago
    Not exactly like DRM (that could be disabled on your device if you hack it). It's more like the TCP protocol where everyone agreed on some protocol (of communication in the case of TCP) and is following it.

pishpash 9y ago

No. That statement is silly. Unique and digital was always possible.

RealityVoid 9y ago
How was it alwys possible? I'm honestly curious, this seems like it doesn't have an obvious solution. This time it's provably unique ownership.
- pishpash 9y ago
  Unique ownership is proved by signing with a unique digital signature, long possible. You must be thinking of something else entirely.
  - benchaney 9y ago
    Signatures don't prove ownership. The prove agreement. Ownership is an entirely different concept.
  - RealityVoid 9y ago
    Unless I'm missing something by signing a digital signature, you're not proving ownership, you're proving identity, a somewhat different concept. If I think a little deeper, it is true, you're proving identity by proving ownership of a private key, but the goal of crypto is proving ownership based on previous peer-agreed ownership by proving identity by proving ownership of a private key. Or maybe I'm just full of shit, but It intuitively feels different than just signing something.
  - VMG 9y ago
    You're right, the innovation is however the transfer of ownership without a trusted third party.

primodemus 9y ago

https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/07/blockchain-could-completely-transform-the-music-industry/ https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/07/blockchain-could-complete...

TimJYoung 9y ago
Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for.
harryh 9y ago
Everything in #3 in that link is silly. In now way can the blockchain be used to prevent music piracy.

benchaney 9y ago

> My question is this: is this the solution to our ongoing problem of not being able to properly reward the creation of digital goods because they can be infinitely reproduced No. Blockchains allow abstract concepts that can't be reproduced, but the data makes up the concepts can still be reproduced just like any other piece of data. In fact every mining node has a complete copy of the Blockchain.

TimJYoung 9y ago
Thanks. So, it's basically like DRM and requires the cooperation of the music player software, etc. to enforce copy protections.
- RexetBlell 9y ago
  Not exactly like DRM (that could be disabled on your device if you hack it). It's more like the TCP protocol where everyone agreed on some protocol (of communication in the case of TCP) and is following it.