4 ms·

An Algorithm Has Created Every Possible Musical Melody So No One Can Ever Sue

newman8r 5y ago
I remember proposing this sort of idea about a decade ago (and I assume plenty of other people have too) - I brushed it off because I assumed it really wouldn't hold any legal weight. Does this collection of melodies actually have any real world legal value?
- runnerup 5y ago
  No. To be copyrighted it must have been a creative endeavor. IIRC courts ruled that this was not a creative process so the music isn't copyrighted but still can be by a creator. Regardless of the specific logic used to refute the attack on their established legal systems, governments essentially never allow breaking changes to come from outside the established power centers. That's a fast shortcut you can use with 99% accuracy.
  - hilbert42 5y ago
    "...governments essentially never allow breaking changes to come from outside the established power centers." That's the problem. It's why democracy is in such one hell of mess and why many, many people have lost faith in the democratic process. If we don't take steps to resolve it and make systems fairer and more equitable for everyone then it's only a matter of time before the whole flaky edifice comes crashing down all around us - and that's no good for everyone (revolution is pretty much the worst solution, it's very much the last resort). Anyone with half a brain knows that copyright law is disastrously unfair and favors those with money and power to fight 'artificial' cases, so schemes such as this to make copyright fairer for everyone should be encouraged. (...After all, the law is protecting a privileged few at the expense of everyone else.) If a lawsuit in any country that's signatory to the Berne Convention were to fail against this novel approach to the copyright problem then it would change the status quo forever. A precedent anywhere has the potential to break the nexus. For starters, in countries that ignored it one's likely to find even more copyright violations as the consequence. Frankly, I wish this would happen. I'd like nothing more than a general rush towards a Thoreau-like Civil Disobedience over unfair copyright laws, as for once it'd force governments to act in favor of everyone despite the actions of powerful vested interests. (BTW, that's not inconsistent with my earlier comment about democracy. If there are deliberate/institutional blockages against having fair representation in democracies, then civil disobedience over one specific issue is much better way forward than a revolution, for example, the suffragettes fight over voting rights for women and demonstrations against the Vietnam War are two good instances of successful outcomes.)
eyelidlessness 5y ago
glares in alternating 15/16, 4/4, 7/8

I remember proposing this sort of idea about a decade ago (and I assume plenty of other people have too) - I brushed it off because I assumed it really wouldn't hold any legal weight. Does this collection of melodies actually have any real world legal value?

runnerup 5y ago
No. To be copyrighted it must have been a creative endeavor. IIRC courts ruled that this was not a creative process so the music isn't copyrighted but still can be by a creator. Regardless of the specific logic used to refute the attack on their established legal systems, governments essentially never allow breaking changes to come from outside the established power centers. That's a fast shortcut you can use with 99% accuracy.
- hilbert42 5y ago
  "...governments essentially never allow breaking changes to come from outside the established power centers." That's the problem. It's why democracy is in such one hell of mess and why many, many people have lost faith in the democratic process. If we don't take steps to resolve it and make systems fairer and more equitable for everyone then it's only a matter of time before the whole flaky edifice comes crashing down all around us - and that's no good for everyone (revolution is pretty much the worst solution, it's very much the last resort). Anyone with half a brain knows that copyright law is disastrously unfair and favors those with money and power to fight 'artificial' cases, so schemes such as this to make copyright fairer for everyone should be encouraged. (...After all, the law is protecting a privileged few at the expense of everyone else.) If a lawsuit in any country that's signatory to the Berne Convention were to fail against this novel approach to the copyright problem then it would change the status quo forever. A precedent anywhere has the potential to break the nexus. For starters, in countries that ignored it one's likely to find even more copyright violations as the consequence. Frankly, I wish this would happen. I'd like nothing more than a general rush towards a Thoreau-like Civil Disobedience over unfair copyright laws, as for once it'd force governments to act in favor of everyone despite the actions of powerful vested interests. (BTW, that's not inconsistent with my earlier comment about democracy. If there are deliberate/institutional blockages against having fair representation in democracies, then civil disobedience over one specific issue is much better way forward than a revolution, for example, the suffragettes fight over voting rights for women and demonstrations against the Vietnam War are two good instances of successful outcomes.)

eyelidlessness 5y ago

glares in alternating 15/16, 4/4, 7/8