05.13.08
The end of copyright?
Very interesting article suggesting that copyright is headed for the dustbin of history. Worth reading in its entirety, but this snippet in particular caught my eye as an example of unintended consequences:
On June 27, 2005, the US Supreme Court decided to hold companies that make file-sharing software responsible for copyright infringements perpetrated by the software’s users. Everyone expected that they would rule as they did when Universal City Studios sued Sony over the Betamax in 1984: there were legitimate uses of the technology, and it shouldn’t be held responsible simply because it can be used unlawfully. Instead, however, they ruled that file-sharing software actively encourages piracy and the makers should be held accountable.
The Supreme Court’s action has done the exact opposite of what MGM and the other content distributors who brought the suit hoped it would. File-sharing software will become open-source and public domain. File-sharing will continue to grow ever more popular, but now there will be no one to sue. The Supreme Court’s ruling hasn’t even delayed the inevitable; it has actually brought it closer.
