Quote:
Originally Posted by Harmon
Somewhere back at the beginning of the thread, someone recommended Mark Helprin's book Digital Barbarians. So I went out & got it, & it's a great read. The guy really knows how to use words. And his strong pro-limited copyright argument makes a lot of sense. If you think you are against copyright, you ought to give this book a read.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/op...pagewanted=all
Here is an opinion piece where he argues for eternal copyright. His argument is deeply flawed at best. He compares copyright for "limited times" to slavery. Intellectual property is a purely governmental construct. An author does not truly own the book, they merely own government-granted monopoly on copying the book.
Calling it "stealing" for the book to someday enter the public domain is question begging. Physical property exists whether or not government exists. Copyright doesn't exist except as a creation of government.
I support copyright, but I can't support his eternal copyright, it would lead to stagnation.