4 ms·

I wonder why the very concept of public library is not illegal at the first place.. I mean, imagine this concept is being popularized at first in the modern er

I wonder why the very concept of public library is not illegal at the first place.. I mean, imagine this concept is being popularized at first in the modern era. I'm pretty sure there's a huge opposition, using the very same argument as digital pirates & AI art debate : "It could damage author's income! People will just go read it for free in public library instead of buying it! Public library is morally wrong and should be burned!!"

tredre3 4y ago
> imagine this concept is being popularized at first in the modern era. I'm pretty sure there's a huge opposition Video rentals have been popularized in the modern era. Netflix mail rentals have been popularized in the even more modern era. I'm sure some copyright holders argued that they should be burned down, but clearly there wasn't a "huge opposition" to it?
- gnarbarian 4y ago
  I don't know how old you are but there was initially a very large amount of opposition to digitizing media delivery over traditional methods for fear of piracy. It was a huge problem for Netflix.
vouaobrasil 4y ago
That is a crude rendition of the AI art debate, and also of piracy. A public library buys the book. Many people can read it, but it guarantees one purchase, and often many libraries will buy the book. It also limits the amount of readers to those who live relatively nearby. Books were also traditionally written with the ideas of libraries in the author's mind, and also many authors benefited themselves from libraries. AI Digital art has many facets which make it detestable for some: it floods the market with stuff that can be generated at near zero cost, it weakens the connection between people because people are no longer looking at something another human created, it cheapens the spirit of creation. While libraries, Library Genesis, and piracy might have some facets in common, they are separate entities and should not be conflated in any sense.
- altilunium 4y ago
  By that logic, then controlled digital lending -- where a public digital library buy one digital book and "lend" it by artificially limiting the amount of concurrent reader -- should be legal then, since it simulates the limitation of physical library in the digital realm.
  - vouaobrasil 4y ago
    It is legal, at least in my country. My library already does this.
    - fulafel 4y ago
      The DRM ebook deals made by libraries don't have the same properties as physical book lending. The library is essentially covering the rent charged by the ebook publisher.
deleted 4y ago
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tredre3 4y ago

> imagine this concept is being popularized at first in the modern era. I'm pretty sure there's a huge opposition Video rentals have been popularized in the modern era. Netflix mail rentals have been popularized in the even more modern era. I'm sure some copyright holders argued that they should be burned down, but clearly there wasn't a "huge opposition" to it?

gnarbarian 4y ago
I don't know how old you are but there was initially a very large amount of opposition to digitizing media delivery over traditional methods for fear of piracy. It was a huge problem for Netflix.

vouaobrasil 4y ago

That is a crude rendition of the AI art debate, and also of piracy. A public library buys the book. Many people can read it, but it guarantees one purchase, and often many libraries will buy the book. It also limits the amount of readers to those who live relatively nearby. Books were also traditionally written with the ideas of libraries in the author's mind, and also many authors benefited themselves from libraries. AI Digital art has many facets which make it detestable for some: it floods the market with stuff that can be generated at near zero cost, it weakens the connection between people because people are no longer looking at something another human created, it cheapens the spirit of creation. While libraries, Library Genesis, and piracy might have some facets in common, they are separate entities and should not be conflated in any sense.

altilunium 4y ago
By that logic, then controlled digital lending -- where a public digital library buy one digital book and "lend" it by artificially limiting the amount of concurrent reader -- should be legal then, since it simulates the limitation of physical library in the digital realm.
- vouaobrasil 4y ago
  It is legal, at least in my country. My library already does this.
  - fulafel 4y ago
    The DRM ebook deals made by libraries don't have the same properties as physical book lending. The library is essentially covering the rent charged by the ebook publisher.

deleted 4y ago

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