[PLUG] Open source makes Abe Lincoln sad?

Sean Whitney sean_whitney at bigfoot.com
Wed Mar 27 22:53:12 UTC 2002


Also:

The patent system changed this; secured to the inventor, for a limited time, 
the exclusive use of his invention; and thereby added the fuel of interest to 
the fire of genius, in the discovery and production of new and useful 
things."  As Michael Novak, of the American Enterprise Institute, has pointed 
out, those principles explain why the US constitution includes a clause 
guaranteeing the right of inventors and authors to royalties for patents and 
copyrights. 

Notice how the constitution gave these right to individuals...who die, as 
opposed to corporations that don't (always).  Patent and copyrights have been 
extended in time by corporations by legal changes to protect their property, 
not to protect the rights of individual inventors.  One of the great powers 
of a corporation is it's ability to outlast an individual.  They can change 
law to benefit themselves in the long term.  Over time the law has changed 
from the rights of the individuals being more powerful than companies, to 
corporate rights being more powerful than individuals. They can outlast a 
human in a legal claim, just by using time/money.

Sean

On Wednesday 27 March 2002 10:35, you hammered at the keyboard:
> http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3H10TP8ZC&li
>ve=true&useoverridetemplate=ZZZFKOXOA0C&tagid=FTDDMJNIFEC
>
> (what an nice url...)
>
> Normally, this would be funny, but since it's coming from Michael Eisner,
> it is literally dangerous (and evil).
>
> While he doesn't mention Open Source specifically, many have connected the
> dots between the CBDTPA (formally the SSSCA) and the DMCA which does have
> to potential to outlaw Linux in particular.
>
> How long before we need to encrypt this list?
>
> WWJD? (What would Jerry Do)
>
>
> See also:
> EFF alert on the CBDTPA
> http://lwn.net/daily/eff-cbdtpa.php3

-- 
Disraeli was pretty close: actually, there are Lies, Damn lies, Statistics,
Benchmarks, and Delivery dates.




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