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Please. Copying is not theft. And yes, I have gone to the library with my laptop, and rented DVDs of stuff I couldnt find. I then ripped them, and returned the

by pierat 3y ago

Please. Copying is not theft. And yes, I have gone to the library with my laptop, and rented DVDs of stuff I couldnt find. I then ripped them, and returned them. And trust me, nobody cares about someone copying some early authored VHS or DVD of a 1950's-1980's movie. Not all of us archivalist/pirates care about current movie of the week. There's a LOT of older and really neat stuff trapped on VHS as well. The real worry with copyright law is the super-long terms create abandoned content nobody has, and is stuck on obsolete formats. Its not all about "current movie of the week".

cj 3y ago
My comment wasn’t in response to an individual’s ability to do these things. I was trying to illustrate (and so was the original commenter) that many things only become a problem when you start making money by doing it, especially at massive scale with millions of customers. E.g. I have no problem with someone making a LLM (or a Netflix clone) using copyrighted material if they are doing it for pleasure and not profit. If you’re going to make a Netflix clone and share it with your friends, cool (would probably get upvoted as a Show HN even, like Popcorn app a few years ago). But if you’re going to do that and turn it into a billion dollar business, not so cool and you should expect to be legally challenged.
strogonoff 3y ago
> Copying is not theft Copying is not theft, and I don’t think anyone would dare to claim otherwise. Unfair use of someone else’s intellectual property, however, is. IP fuels innovation and progress—the very same that gave us tech and LLMs. IP is a major factor that incentivizes us to make new things, as you can subsequently profit from the value you created for the world. Take it away and you get a society where barely anyone is motivated to bother (unless they are coerced into it, with predictable results).

by pierat 3y ago

cj 3y ago

My comment wasn’t in response to an individual’s ability to do these things. I was trying to illustrate (and so was the original commenter) that many things only become a problem when you start making money by doing it, especially at massive scale with millions of customers. E.g. I have no problem with someone making a LLM (or a Netflix clone) using copyrighted material if they are doing it for pleasure and not profit. If you’re going to make a Netflix clone and share it with your friends, cool (would probably get upvoted as a Show HN even, like Popcorn app a few years ago). But if you’re going to do that and turn it into a billion dollar business, not so cool and you should expect to be legally challenged.

strogonoff 3y ago

> Copying is not theft Copying is not theft, and I don’t think anyone would dare to claim otherwise. Unfair use of someone else’s intellectual property, however, is. IP fuels innovation and progress—the very same that gave us tech and LLMs. IP is a major factor that incentivizes us to make new things, as you can subsequently profit from the value you created for the world. Take it away and you get a society where barely anyone is motivated to bother (unless they are coerced into it, with predictable results).