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What you're talking about isn't a problem until and unless whole-brain emulation becomes a thing. You cannot assert copyright over a human brain because you can

What you're talking about isn't a problem until and unless whole-brain emulation becomes a thing. You cannot assert copyright over a human brain because you cannot copy a human brain; and insamuch that brain is capable of copying other works, that's already covered by standard copyright law. It would be a good plot for a 2000s-retro-futuristic cyberpunk book (P2Ppunk?) but I suspect the Supreme Court would rule that the 14th Amendment overrides copyright interest in human brains were that to become a problem. (If you wanted a 2010s-retro-futuristic cyberpunk sequel book you'd have some far-right militia group arguing for bringing back slavery to protect author's rights or something. Call it Twitterpunk.)

bookofjoe 6y ago
You might enjoy "Replicas," — https://youtu.be/ze_ANsckvS0 https://youtu.be/ze_ANsckvS0 — a 2018 sci-fi thriller starring Keanu Reeves, which centers on whole-brain emulation. No spoiler review here!
naringas 6y ago
I disagree, what you describe is the extreme version of what I am worried about. I'm not worried that about an external entity owning my entire mind. I'm worried about a society in which institutions and corporations have ownership over some parts of what I know. And this is already happening, so many engineers and academics have signed NDAs, essentially giving up ownership (the ability to determine how to use) of certain information they have learned, in some cases even their own original ideas.
bencollier49 6y ago
I disagree with this - if I've memorised a tune, I'm not allowed to replay it without paying a fee. But the line between biological and physical memory seems arbitrary to me, and this will become increasingly so. We can already read basic images from a brain using AI to reconstruct the image[1]. If that device shows an image which is copyrighted, who is liable, the person with the scanner, or the brain that was scanned? How about if I create a device which helps people who are physically disabled - or locked in - to communicate by projecting sounds from their brains - but not at will? If the person thinks about a tune ("Happy Birthday"), have they "performed" it? What happens if they think something which is considered enough to have you banned from popular platforms? What about if the technology is forced to remove their services because the thoughts you're creating are unacceptable? These things don't seem at all unlikely within the next 10-20 years. 1. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/mind-reading-algorithm-can-decode-pictures-your-head https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/mind-reading-algorit...

bookofjoe 6y ago

You might enjoy "Replicas," — https://youtu.be/ze_ANsckvS0 https://youtu.be/ze_ANsckvS0 — a 2018 sci-fi thriller starring Keanu Reeves, which centers on whole-brain emulation. No spoiler review here!

naringas 6y ago

I disagree, what you describe is the extreme version of what I am worried about. I'm not worried that about an external entity owning my entire mind. I'm worried about a society in which institutions and corporations have ownership over some parts of what I know. And this is already happening, so many engineers and academics have signed NDAs, essentially giving up ownership (the ability to determine how to use) of certain information they have learned, in some cases even their own original ideas.

bencollier49 6y ago

I disagree with this - if I've memorised a tune, I'm not allowed to replay it without paying a fee. But the line between biological and physical memory seems arbitrary to me, and this will become increasingly so. We can already read basic images from a brain using AI to reconstruct the image[1]. If that device shows an image which is copyrighted, who is liable, the person with the scanner, or the brain that was scanned? How about if I create a device which helps people who are physically disabled - or locked in - to communicate by projecting sounds from their brains - but not at will? If the person thinks about a tune ("Happy Birthday"), have they "performed" it? What happens if they think something which is considered enough to have you banned from popular platforms? What about if the technology is forced to remove their services because the thoughts you're creating are unacceptable? These things don't seem at all unlikely within the next 10-20 years. 1. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/mind-reading-algorithm-can-decode-pictures-your-head https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/mind-reading-algorit...