Re: Napster: thoughts and comments

From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Jul 12 2000 - 14:33:42 MDT


>From: QueeneMUSE@aol.com

>Unfortunately, present copyrights are being thrown out the window very
>quickly, and they took a long time to go into place.
>
>They were made to protect.
>Otherwise anyone who had more resources can basically screw you selling
>your
>idea and claiming you never thought it up.
>
>Now pretty much they don't work in this new found freedom, and we have to
>be
>careful about demanding they BE enforced, because we lose the benign
>anarchy
>of the net.
>
>I like that idea that it can be let go of, so we can enjoy our freedom, and
>so things can be available.... but so far you have failed to prove any
>viable
>alternative that works.
>
>It's a complex question.

It's may be a complex question, but it has a simple answer. Information is
breaking loose from the chains that have held it back for millenia. There's
no two ways about it. Sure I suppose there will be a continuing arms race
for sometime between those who want to emancipate information and those who
want to keep it under lock and key. But, since there are far more people
who benefit from free access to information than those who benefit from
restrictive access, my money will always be on the "info freedom" side.

This is certainly not good news to those who make their money by
monopolizing information and those who want to perform once and get paid
repeatedly for that performance. But every revolution has casualties. The
solution is adapt or perish. And it is not necessarily as dire for artists
as it may sound. Newspapers once had a lock on the news. Then along came
radio, then TV, and now the net, where you can access all the news that's
fit to print anytime you want, for free. But there are several newspaper
companies in this country who still make their money selling newspapers. It
may not be easy, but it can be done, by focusing your efforts at those
consumers who are willing to pay for "value added" product even though it
may be available in a less convenient way or place for free.

-Zero

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