[schex86]

Cian,

Good post, and you hinted at a problem that the current copyright scheme will not be able to solve. Throughout history, there have been many writings, but many, if not most of them, have been forever lost.

What if we had a system of "free-publishing" in which no work of any significance could ever suffer the same fate, because multiple copies were maintained on millions/billions servers throughout the world? Well, we do have such a system, but we have failed to utilize it to its maximum effectiveness by artificially restricting the distribution of information. If this capability had somehow been available throughout history, just think of how quickly mankind could have advanced, and how many questions about the past would have been unequivocally answered, as opposed to the guesswork now employed by modern historians.

If we fail to take advantage of this moment of singularity, I am quite certain our posterity will only be able to shake their heads in wonder at our stupidity.