

Copyright Law is 300 years old today. - 0xdeadc0de
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Anne

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decode
It's good to be reminded that just 300 years ago, people didn't even have a
_concept_ of copyright. These days, copyrights are often described as natural
rights founded on basic ethics, but that's just not the case. Copyrights are a
set of laws that were invented by people to have certain effects on society.

I see things like these Amazon reviews for Tweet Nothings and I'm amazed at
how effective the PR departments of the copyright industries have been at
making us think like they want us to. Almost all of them could have been
written by the RIAA or MPAA. <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593597770>

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SlyShy
It hasn't aged well.

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acg
It's remarkable that the article claims reasons for copyright originally were
not for the protection of authors, but for the control of descent spread by
printing. At the risk of sounding like a nut, could history be repeating
itself? Rules cutting web connections without trial sound like they will be
enacted in law in the UK. ISPs are obliged to monitor subscriber's traffic.
Are these powers open to abuse?

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ascuttlefish
I think it might be on its deathbed.

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cturner
Boooo!

