Re: Neat summary of Google strategy

From: "Chris"
> On Tue, 9 Jun 2009, joseph harris wrote:
>
>> For creatives copyright is the life blood. It establishes 
>> a
>> right to be rewarded for one's efforts.
>
> .. and that establishment was a creation in law, designed 
> to
> satisfy the needs of both the sources and destinations of 
> the
> works. The needs of both have shifted over time, and the 
> old
> structures are proving to be an increasingly poor fit.

Chris,

American law is the continuation of English law, and the 
Founding Fathers of the US were English (colonial) 
gentlemen. The history of copyright was not of sudden 
imposition, but of release from the time of the 
establishemnt of the Church of England. The Act of Queen 
Anne was nearly a hundred years befor the Declaration of 
Independence.  This took the (Crown) monopoly away from the 
printers and started the sharing process with the creators.

It is probably significant that neither Thomas Paine nor 
they objected to the idea of creatives controlling spread of 
their works - indeed they seemed to wish for an expansion.

>
>> Many are employed, one way or another, in serving this 
>> industry
>> that makes the rewards real - or at least in prospect.
>
> As many auto industry employees are finding, nothing lasts
> forever, no matter how big and important it may seem.

Interesting analogy; however you are writing of the American 
car industry. There are differing experiences round the 
world, and basic organisation for a capital intensive 
industry is unlikely to change. The problem is demand for 
cars, not the way they are made or sold. Correction is about 
how decision-making is conducted. the type of car is a 
social matter, not so much an industry one.

>
>> I do not see how this would work for a vibrant culture if 
>> it
>> were removed or undermined.
>
> Fortunately, just because neither you nor I see how a 
> vibrant
> culture could work without copyright does not make it 
> impossible.
>
>
> : chris smith 
> ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> : nihil tam munitum quod non expugnari pecunia possit - 
> cicero :
>

You ask for a leap of faith. For those creatives and others 
in the industry it asks a great deal, just so a limited 
number can feel moral while taking what is not theirs.

Joseph Harris 



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