Quote:
Originally Posted by PKFFW
I don't believe I said anything of the sort.
To repeat, I was merely pointing out that to argue something like "back in the day authors gave their work away for free so they should do so now" isn't helpful to the debate regarding copyright at all.
PKFFW
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Well excuse me in advance, as I've had a serious cold, just in time for a swine flu vaccination and dental appointment tomorrow morn.
Anyhow, I haven't reread all my posts but I believe that my intent in resurrecting Ben Franklin from the ancient past was to respond to another assertion made earlier that libraries are somehow more "profitable" for authors and publishers than would seem immediately apparent.
However, simple math negates this argument, as even if a library pays 2 to 3 times the books typical cost, it will, in all likelihood lend that one book to thousands of subscribers free of charge. It seems a library is in direct opposition to a small group's interests, that being publishers and authors who create their literary products solely on a financial incentive, yet the vast benefits of a public library system to society in general are easily worth this rather small penalty.
Just because public libraries reduce a bit of financial incentive for one small group, as has been their characteristic from inception, does not mean they should be outlawed, and they have not. Rather they have been embraced, and will we now, as a society, take the next step and embrace the potentials of information technology in the same way.
It may take someone like Franklin, as demonstrated also by his reaction to the patent on his woodstove design, who placed his concern with the greater good far above his own personal gain, to bring about this change in our thinking, and to facilitate this transfer of power, as well as negating forever the ability of an entrenched and shortsighted few to create environments of artificial scarcity in terms of human knowledge.
And just because an idea occurred in the past, does not necessarily lessen its worth, or conversely, improve upon it. However, Franklin's ideas and actions as a Founding Father of the US tend to stand on their own merits, and he is generally recognized as one of the greatest thinkers, and more importantly, doers, of the past millennium. Plus, I just happened to be reading his book and thought his views on the matter could be relevant to the discussion.