[LAU] ASCAP Assails Free-Culture, Digital-Rights Groups

[James Warden]

> It is simple for this concept to be transferred to
> copyright law. If you have the ability to take something for
> free without having to give any thought to the consequences
> that the originating party will observe to their profit line
> then the majority of people and every single company in the
> world will do so. Going against that is going up against the
> free market.
> 

Just my 2 cents: 

I don't think it has much to do with free market (and I fail to see where true free markets are operating by the way) but a more fundamental reason: that's how nature works to evolve. Copying is just one way, and it used to be the main way of reproducing in the past. With the advent of sexual reprod. things got a bit more fancy and evolution took a new turn. I venture that copying computer bits that provide meaningful information is just another instantiation of the same old process. Later on, that copying process may well evolve to a form equivalent to the sexual reprod. and more diversity will emerge from the process. 

I don't really know what to think of theories like Susan Blackmore's (memes and temes) but I feel there is something to it in the way we exchange data and spread "new" information.   

The Disney vs Stravinsky bit made me laugh: so it is American and capitalist to explicitly exploit regulation loopholes in order to steal the work of other people ?  My! I would have never guessed ... :lol:

Cheers!
J.