Re: Owning a piece of my mind

["Michael S. Hart" <hart@prairienet.org>]

WordStar tried something like this and failed. . .miserably. . . .

Now that precedent has been set, not likely for anyone else. . . .

Thanks!

Happy Holidays!

So nice to hear from you!!

Michael S. Hart
<hart@pobox.com>
Project Gutenberg
"Ask Dr. Internet"
Executive Director
Internet User ~#100



On Wed, 8 Dec 1999, Geoffrey Dutton wrote:

> Here's a question that has been concerning me recently, and I wonder who
> else has considered it. Quite soon we may very well see corporations such
> as Microsoft start to assert rights of ownership to documents produced with
> the aid of their software agents and accessories, first to the extent that
> documents' content is composed automatically, later extending to a share of
> all works produced, as soon as it becomes possible to accurately meter,
> report and charge for such processes. For example, if a person composes a
> poem with online aids such as rhyming dictionaries, thesauri, modal
> advisors and meter-correcting agents, the argument will be made (probably
> successfully) that ownership of the poem must be shared with the holders of
> patents and copyrights for the technology involved in its creative
> production.
> 
> This is like, but not the same as Ted Nelson's vision of a hypertext future
> in which all authors linked to a document would be recognized and
> automatically compensated for their portions as copyright holders. It
> disturbs me not because I would object to sharing labor and credit for my
> creative work with electronic entities, but because we would be working to
> enrich corporations far beyond the costs of their actual efforts to deploy
> the technology, literally giving them a piece of my mind -- to own.
> 
> Do you see this becoming a public issue? Is this already happening? Can
> anyone provide real examples from various contexts? Can anything be done
> about it? Your thoughful input is appreciated.
> 
> -Geoff Dutton
> 
> 
> 
>