2009/05/15 |

Recientemente John Sullivan escribió un artículo sobre por qué la Free Software Foundation tiene interés especial en las demandas que la RIAA está haciendo contra quienes comparten música por internet. En dicho artículo, John expresa ideas bastante interesantes sobre el estado actual de las leyes de copyright y derechos de autor en el mundo. A continuación, mis párrafos favoritos:

In the case of copyright, it’s the public’s freedom that the government is spending, to obtain in return for the public scientific and cultural goods. Right now, governments are squandering this freedom. They are spending far too much and getting far too little in return.

Previously, because the required equipment was large and expensive, normal readers and listeners did not have the means to easily make copies. Restrictive copyright did not negatively affect them. But now, because so many more people do have the ability to easily exercise this freedom, the burden imposed by copyright restrictions on our society has become unacceptably heavy. Even while these restrictions have become more burdensome, they have become less necessary — with the cost of publishing so much lower now, less incentive is required. Instead of acknowledging this, the government has been taking the side of those who, out of greed akin to selling us $640 toilet seats, see an opportunity to freeze what should be a contingent and evolving bargain into a permanent and natural right for themselves, expanding ownership powers under copyright law far beyond its current and historical borders.

If we are going to achieve sane copyright law, we have to avoid confusing this institutionalization of corporate greed with “art.”

Esta última frase me gustó bastante.