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Copyright was hatched back when the act of copying was laborious and mechanical, meaning that the copier likely had deep pockets and financial backing (and ther

Copyright was hatched back when the act of copying was laborious and mechanical, meaning that the copier likely had deep pockets and financial backing (and there were few of them in the neighborhood). This logic falls flat when we get a device that is basically built for copying, the computer. A major part of how it operates is to copy data in and out of memory. Anyways, even before the computer various nations had exceptions in place for copying between friends and relatives. This because even policing the likes of cassette based copying was virtually impossible without a permanent copyright cop in every home. These days however said copyright cop is being implemented in the form of DRM and the kind of content fingerprinting talked about in the article.

qubex 9y ago
Since when have computers been “basically built for copying”? Computers are designed for computing, from the Turing Machine onwards storage and duplication have merely been instruments and steps (respectively) towards achieving universality. The idea of a computer as a communication device came relatively late in the game (most of Shannon's Information Theory's applicability to computation was to infra-computer communication between circuits, or transmission “down time”, meaning storage and delay loops), and not to intra-computer communication. Yes, modern computers are effective communication devices and the idea of networking has become almost indelibly welded to the idea of computation, but on a theoretical level they are absolutely distinct, and it's probably an accident of history that the two concepts ended up entwined. That's why there's lambda calculus for making statements about computing and pi calculus for making statements about process communication.
- pdkl95 9y ago
  > Since when have computers been “basically built for copying” Digital computers (i.e. Shannon's Information Theory) was a solution for the S/N getting worse every time the signal was amplified. Shannon's solution of digital circuits allowed information to be copied without the limit. An important consequence of this was the marginal cost for copying information falling very close to zero. Or, stated in economic terms, information ws no longer scarce. > computer You're using a very narrow definition of "computer". Colloquial use of the word obviously includes a variety of technologies and concepts - such as Shannon's digital circuits - not just model of computation (Turing or otherwise). > modern computers are effective communication device You don't even need to consider {,inter}networking; the modern devices commonly called "computers" spend most of their time managing data. Very little time is spent doing any actual computation. I recommend this[1] lecture by Feynman, where he explains how what we call "computers" are are really closer to a filing system that stores and copies data (including the store program and most of the mechanics of computation). [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWGGDXe5MA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWGGDXe5MA
  - qubex 9y ago
    > You’re using a very narrow definition of ”computer” Yes, I am, and that’s because I have a mathematical background. I’m quite comfortable in my knowledge that the common-parlance item is actually a ’computer’ as I intend it (narrowly) fused with a communicator that allows it to internetwork with other similarly compound devices.
aisofteng 9y ago
The point is that to produce content requires investment and/or valuable skill. You've clearly never had a livelihood that depends on knowledge, experience, or skills that took you years to develop and then has someone copy it and profit from it. That's what copyright is for.

qubex 9y ago

Since when have computers been “basically built for copying”? Computers are designed for computing, from the Turing Machine onwards storage and duplication have merely been instruments and steps (respectively) towards achieving universality. The idea of a computer as a communication device came relatively late in the game (most of Shannon's Information Theory's applicability to computation was to infra-computer communication between circuits, or transmission “down time”, meaning storage and delay loops), and not to intra-computer communication. Yes, modern computers are effective communication devices and the idea of networking has become almost indelibly welded to the idea of computation, but on a theoretical level they are absolutely distinct, and it's probably an accident of history that the two concepts ended up entwined. That's why there's lambda calculus for making statements about computing and pi calculus for making statements about process communication.

pdkl95 9y ago
> Since when have computers been “basically built for copying” Digital computers (i.e. Shannon's Information Theory) was a solution for the S/N getting worse every time the signal was amplified. Shannon's solution of digital circuits allowed information to be copied without the limit. An important consequence of this was the marginal cost for copying information falling very close to zero. Or, stated in economic terms, information ws no longer scarce. > computer You're using a very narrow definition of "computer". Colloquial use of the word obviously includes a variety of technologies and concepts - such as Shannon's digital circuits - not just model of computation (Turing or otherwise). > modern computers are effective communication device You don't even need to consider {,inter}networking; the modern devices commonly called "computers" spend most of their time managing data. Very little time is spent doing any actual computation. I recommend this[1] lecture by Feynman, where he explains how what we call "computers" are are really closer to a filing system that stores and copies data (including the store program and most of the mechanics of computation). [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWGGDXe5MA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWGGDXe5MA
- qubex 9y ago
  > You’re using a very narrow definition of ”computer” Yes, I am, and that’s because I have a mathematical background. I’m quite comfortable in my knowledge that the common-parlance item is actually a ’computer’ as I intend it (narrowly) fused with a communicator that allows it to internetwork with other similarly compound devices.

aisofteng 9y ago

The point is that to produce content requires investment and/or valuable skill. You've clearly never had a livelihood that depends on knowledge, experience, or skills that took you years to develop and then has someone copy it and profit from it. That's what copyright is for.