Mises Wire

Let’s just shut down all progress using copyright and patent

Let’s just shut down all progress using copyright and patent

Here is a weekend code writer who was hammered by a corporate correspondent who warned him not to release his free product because it would infringe on a legal monopoly. The whole thing is a disgrace. Just a disgrace. It further demonstrates how it would be possible to shut down the whole world using patent lawsuits. Folks, the criminals are in control of the law.

Second item sent to me by Lew Rockwell: a New York Times argument about the copyright of piano music. The print publishers are long gone, so enthusiasts have been circulating digital copies – essentially rescuing treasures of civilization from the trash. David Pogue says, oh but this might be depriving sheet music printers of revenue. My kneejerk responses include: maybe not, who cares, and tough luck guys. The “pirates” are doing far more for the world then the IP monopolists and their defenders.

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