4 ms·

America used to be notorious in the 18th and 19th centuries for ignoring copyrights and patents filed in Europe. For example: "Johns describes how the first g

by gamble 15y ago

America used to be notorious in the 18th and 19th centuries for ignoring copyrights and patents filed in Europe. For example: "Johns describes how the first generation of American publishers came to constitute themselves as book pirates who openly violated British copyright law by systematically reprinting works that the British publishers considered their own lawful property. This laid the foundations for a vital but highly controversial book market in the new world and Johns concludes that by “the 1820s, Jacksonian America had a secure and vibrant public sphere – but to European eyes an utterly piratical one”. Source: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/papers/Fredriksson-Draft-MiT.pdf http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/papers/Fredriksson-Draft-...

cookiecaper 15y ago
Evidence that our current intellectual property regime is simply not practical in a quickly emerging economic powerhouse?
- gamble 15y ago
  I think it's more a result of the fact that China produces little intellectual property of its own right now. Enforcing copyright would raise costs, hinder development of copycat industries, and deplete the mountain of foreign exchange they've accumulated through exports. In addition, unlike most small countries that don't have domestic IP industries, China is not susceptible to US and European pressure. The US eventually became a champion of IP laws once its own IP industries became globally dominant. China will discover the joys of copyright and patent lawsuits once they dominate the IP industries.
  - afterburner 15y ago
    "once they dominate the IP industries" Well English isn't the primary language there, that should probably make a difference in how things play out compared to the US. EDIT: (compared to the US pirating British works)
    - stcredzero 15y ago
      From what I've seen, the Chinese don't "get" the aesthetic systems of other cultures as readily or completely as the Japanese did. The Japanese seem to have a distinct edge over everyone else in East Asia in this regard.

by gamble 15y ago

cookiecaper 15y ago

Evidence that our current intellectual property regime is simply not practical in a quickly emerging economic powerhouse?

gamble 15y ago
I think it's more a result of the fact that China produces little intellectual property of its own right now. Enforcing copyright would raise costs, hinder development of copycat industries, and deplete the mountain of foreign exchange they've accumulated through exports. In addition, unlike most small countries that don't have domestic IP industries, China is not susceptible to US and European pressure. The US eventually became a champion of IP laws once its own IP industries became globally dominant. China will discover the joys of copyright and patent lawsuits once they dominate the IP industries.
- afterburner 15y ago
  "once they dominate the IP industries" Well English isn't the primary language there, that should probably make a difference in how things play out compared to the US. EDIT: (compared to the US pirating British works)
  - stcredzero 15y ago
    From what I've seen, the Chinese don't "get" the aesthetic systems of other cultures as readily or completely as the Japanese did. The Japanese seem to have a distinct edge over everyone else in East Asia in this regard.