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No argument, but there are incredible works of literature being created now, by living authors (who want to continue living, so need to eat) as well. We will li

No argument, but there are incredible works of literature being created now, by living authors (who want to continue living, so need to eat) as well. We will likely always the classics, but we need living authors to create new classics.

spudlyo 2y ago
Is it still worth the terrible compromises to our digital freedoms we as a society have to make in order "to promote the progress of science and useful arts"? I'd argue that the pendulum has swung so far to the side of IP holders that this trade-off is one I no longer support. IP laws were designed for a different world, and in our current age they are often used to lock down content, control devices, and restrict how we interact with technology.
- themadturk 2y ago
  I think the idea that things have swung far to the side of the IP holder is a valid argument. But I don't think it's so much that the IP laws were designed for a different world as it is that large and powerful IP holders (Disney is the canonical example, but far from the only one) hijacked the copyright process for their own ends, blind to the way the world works today. The core concern, to my mind, is that creators be compensated fairly for their labor, however we end up defining that. Burning down the current system is likely the only way to find our way out of the mess we're in.
  - account42 2y ago
    IP laws were designed in a world without the means to effectively make infinite copies for free using only hardware that everyone carries on their person at all times. You may say that you think copyright still works for the world we are in today (I don't agree) but that it was designed for a different world is undeniable.
account42 2y ago
We don't need new classics. They are nice to have but not a need. We really don't need so many new books that we have to pay people to write them full time. We absolutely don't need so many new books that we have to give authors the right to extract money after publishing instead of having to rely on crowdfunding/patronage and other up front payments. If copyright ended right now, culture would go on undisturbed.

spudlyo 2y ago

Is it still worth the terrible compromises to our digital freedoms we as a society have to make in order "to promote the progress of science and useful arts"? I'd argue that the pendulum has swung so far to the side of IP holders that this trade-off is one I no longer support. IP laws were designed for a different world, and in our current age they are often used to lock down content, control devices, and restrict how we interact with technology.

themadturk 2y ago
I think the idea that things have swung far to the side of the IP holder is a valid argument. But I don't think it's so much that the IP laws were designed for a different world as it is that large and powerful IP holders (Disney is the canonical example, but far from the only one) hijacked the copyright process for their own ends, blind to the way the world works today. The core concern, to my mind, is that creators be compensated fairly for their labor, however we end up defining that. Burning down the current system is likely the only way to find our way out of the mess we're in.
- account42 2y ago
  IP laws were designed in a world without the means to effectively make infinite copies for free using only hardware that everyone carries on their person at all times. You may say that you think copyright still works for the world we are in today (I don't agree) but that it was designed for a different world is undeniable.

account42 2y ago

We don't need new classics. They are nice to have but not a need. We really don't need so many new books that we have to pay people to write them full time. We absolutely don't need so many new books that we have to give authors the right to extract money after publishing instead of having to rely on crowdfunding/patronage and other up front payments. If copyright ended right now, culture would go on undisturbed.