Re: RE: If I were to talk with Disney's IP lobbyists

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James Gleick
Mon, 2 Mar 1998 12:08:38 -0500


On Sunday, March 01, 1998 1:01 PM, Brewster Kahle [SMTP:]
wrote:
>
> * treat nonprint products like print publications in terms of roles
> libraries and archives: use copyright law, perserve fair use, allowance
to

Not quite possible, unfortunately. Where libraries are concerned, a
delicate balance was maintained in the era of printed books. If a library
bought one copy of a book, only one person at a time (approximately) could
borrow it, and the process was slow. Maybe tens of people per year. A
digital library or archive that could lend one of my books to millions of
people daily would upset the balance, to put it mildly. It would have
become a publisher. You might as well just say that authors should not be
compensated for their work.

I don't even think it's clear that you should be archiving copyrighted
material. Let's say I make some articles available on my Web site but wish
to maintain my ownership and control of the copyright. Shouldn't I be able
to edit, correct, and even withdraw an article from free circulation? I
might not be comfortable with your copying and in effect publishing such
texts.

James Gleick
http://www.around.com


  • Reply: Stewart Brand: "Re: RE: If I were to talk with Disney's IP lobbyists"