
Online legal publishers squabble over the right to copyright the law - protomyth
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/online-legal-publishers-squabble-over-the-right-to-copyright-the-law/
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phkahler
I'd like to see the law in a git repository or equivalent. Then
people/lawmakers could vote to apply a patch (bill) to the law.

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noir_lord
I've seen something like this suggested before, something like github for the
law - lawhub but with a nice user friendly UI, be interesting to see the stuff
evolve over and time and who was making the edits ;).

[https://draftin.com/](https://draftin.com/) has a lovely UI I like a great
deal.

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joesmo
Anyone else find it ironic that access to the law is so difficult yet every
adult citizen is expected to know every single law that applies at any time in
any location in the US and all possible interpretations, case law history,
precedents, rulings, etc in history. And that's just to stay out of jail?

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hga
_" Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr.
Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a
bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the
age of beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were
pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's
no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to
crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one 'makes'
them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for
men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens?
What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can
neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted-and you create a
nation of law-breakers and then you cash in on the guilt. Now that's the
system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be
much easier to deal with."_

\--Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

For a modern improvement on this, look up anarcho-tyranny.

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ferentchak
I always loved that part of the book. I think it's a perfect
explanation/application for another quote.

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." Tacitus

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hga
Not surprisingly not a recent thing.

I consider myself to be very lucky to have taken Latin in high school and then
and after studying Roman history (and much more nowadays), today's events
don't surprise me hardly as much as they might.

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nxzero
Taking a step back, and putting aside copyright, which is a no brainier,
providing access to the law is not free, most courts charge to access copies,
directly, or indirectly. Best solution would likely be to have three non-
profits take compete to provide access; otherwise you end up with situations
like this were the states outsource access it an attempt to reduce costs and
make money too.

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dragonwriter
> Taking a step back, and putting aside copyright, which is a no brainier,
> providing access to the law is not free

Neither are lots of the essential functions of organized society. OTOH,
universal access to a complete and accurate account of the law is arguably is
an essential element of government of, by, and for the people.

> Best solution would likely be to have three non-profits take compete to
> provide access; otherwise you end up with situations like this were the
> states outsource access it an attempt to reduce costs and make money too.

I don't know that that's the "best solution"; a national rule that no
government act has the force of law until and unless published in an official,
universally and freely accessible, public domain, repository of the law
meeting defined standards that include provisions relating to functionality
and exportabilitym would not prevent states from outsourcing the work of
providing the online repository, but would prevent it from being put behind a
copyright wall preventing free use, and would prevent technical barriers from
being erected to effective use in order to advance commercial interests, and
would prevent it from being a way to make money rather than a way to provide
free and equal access to the most fundamental information about government --
what their official, binding decrees are.

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nxzero
Maybe I'm a bit jaded, but simple putting something online is not providing
access nor for that matter is it free, since taxes pay for it. Beyond that,
huge, and often the most meaningful legal information is not pulled from the
written laws, but case law that's resulted from past cases. More to the point,
legal system as it is now has no responsibility to provided legal advice and
clearly looks down on those who represent themselves. Beyond that, most law is
not in Plain English, and as a result, not accessible.

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EvanPlaice
In the US at least, laws are created by government employees and their work is
paid for with taxpayer dollard.

Therefore, their work is paet of the public domain and can't be copyrighted or
licensed. Period.

It's the law...

If somebody is claiming copyright to public works and/or limiting access for
money, they should be publicly shamed out of existence.

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kolbe
Just put this country out of its misery. Why do we have to live with all this
rent seeking bullshit?

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Terr_
Wasn't there a court case over patenting a tax-loophole, where it was rejected
because it prevented people from equal protection under the law?

