Re: A possible GFDL compromise
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003, David Starner wrote:
>> Yes, of course. And while copyright _really_, not formally,
>> affects only professional distributors, there was little or no
>> problem with copyright. Problems begins, when copyright grow so
>> large, that it affect the rights and interests of users and authors.
>I don't understand how copyright has grown? It's always been about
>the rights and interests of authors - that's theoritically who the
>copyright law is for.
Well, may be I should say "hurt the rights and interests
of users and authors".
>It still doesn't affect pure users.
Maybe there are still exists several pure users that not
affected by copyright. But majority of users is.
>It just happens that during the duration of copyright law it's gone
>from a time when copying a book meant owning a printing press, to
>running off a few copies at Kinko's, to making an unlimited number
>of copies effortlessly* and cheaply from your computer.
No, it is not true. It is a common opinion, but it is not
true. The majority of problems with copyright come from the grow of
copyright itself, not from the technical progress. Not all, but
majority. If we would have the old, 1904-1912-style copyright laws,
there would be much less problems with copyright.
For example, the computer software become copyrightable only
in the late 70-s - early 90-s, after 30+ years of free existense.
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