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Old 03-23-2008, 11:00 AM   #10
Steven Lyle Jordan
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The article makes clear at the end that the inherent differences between physical products and digital products is one that is too new upon the scene to have been figured out yet, and that "scholars and lawmakers" are working on that now. Those inherent differences, because they are as extreme as they are, suggest a radical shift in the way we used to do things.

The practices of "doing what we please" with things we have purchased are largely societal acceptances of the "natural laws," based on human nature, that individuals insist upon. But even these have limits that we accept... for instance, we can't, for instance, "resell" cable service that we get from the vendor... though largely it is because societal law has set the means to control that tendency... the cable company cutting you off and fining you if they discover you're reeselling their service. The cable example shows that restricting digital content dissemination can work, under the right conditions.

Much of the "natural laws" we presently accept for digital works will most likely find themselves under some type of similar control or regulation, that will permit your doing some things (like making personal copies), but not others (reselling copies), with enforcement being tied to methods of tracking the copies and the transactions, and being able to effectively punish the violators (fines, or losing your right to some service, or both).

It's only a matter of time before someone creates and refines such a system, the lawmakers adopt/accept it, and we are all pushed into using it because it will likely be the path of least resistance.
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