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Aaron Swartz was treated unjustly because copyright sucks. we should oppose such laws and treatment, not wield them as retributive tools against our opponents

Aaron Swartz was treated unjustly because copyright sucks. we should oppose such laws and treatment, not wield them as retributive tools against our opponents it is wrong to advocate for everyone to be treated equally unjustly. better to advocate for the removal of the bad laws/structures

ipython 5mo ago
It would be easier to advocate for the reform of those laws if they were actually applied evenly. I’m not calling for its use as a “retributive tool”. Just that it be applied evenly.
- spongebobstoes 5mo ago
  advocating for more punishment under copyright law is directly opposed to reform or removal of the laws court precedent is a useful tool of advocacy
  - ipython 5mo ago
    Technically he wasn’t charged with any copyright violations. See indictment: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/217117-united-states-of-america-v-aaron-swartz/ https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/217117-united-states...
  - jmye 5mo ago
    [flagged]
    - stevenhuang 5mo ago
      Social norms and laws influence each other but often it is norms that change first, then laws change. Once a technology becomes massively useful and socially normalized, it is our legal systems that adapt around the new reality. You can make the bet copyright laws won't change in the future but it's one you'd likely lose. For one, laws would probably be weakened to allow/look the other way for "wanton" training with copyrighted works for one simple reason: governments are unlikely to go for strict copyright maximalism because that would permanently cripple domestic AI development.
jmye 5mo ago
> not wield them as retributive tools against our opponents No, we should apply them equally to Mark Fucking Zuckerberg (which is decidedly not retributive, however much you want to make an emotional appeal) until such time as they are repealed as laws. It’s not really that complicated.

ipython 5mo ago

It would be easier to advocate for the reform of those laws if they were actually applied evenly. I’m not calling for its use as a “retributive tool”. Just that it be applied evenly.

spongebobstoes 5mo ago
advocating for more punishment under copyright law is directly opposed to reform or removal of the laws court precedent is a useful tool of advocacy
- ipython 5mo ago
  Technically he wasn’t charged with any copyright violations. See indictment: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/217117-united-states-of-america-v-aaron-swartz/ https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/217117-united-states...
- jmye 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - stevenhuang 5mo ago
    Social norms and laws influence each other but often it is norms that change first, then laws change. Once a technology becomes massively useful and socially normalized, it is our legal systems that adapt around the new reality. You can make the bet copyright laws won't change in the future but it's one you'd likely lose. For one, laws would probably be weakened to allow/look the other way for "wanton" training with copyrighted works for one simple reason: governments are unlikely to go for strict copyright maximalism because that would permanently cripple domestic AI development.

jmye 5mo ago

> not wield them as retributive tools against our opponents No, we should apply them equally to Mark Fucking Zuckerberg (which is decidedly not retributive, however much you want to make an emotional appeal) until such time as they are repealed as laws. It’s not really that complicated.