In case anyone was wondering what TorrentFreak thinks of this whole thing: https://torrentfreak.com/you-cant-defend-public-libraries-and-oppose-file-sharing-150510/
Public libraries started appearing in the mid-1800s. At the time, publishers went absolutely berserk: they had been lobbying for the lending of books to become illegal, as reading a book without paying anything first was “stealing”, they argued. As a consequence, they considered private libraries at the time to be hotbeds of crime and robbery. (Those libraries were so-called “subscription libraries”, so they were argued to be for-profit, too.)
British Parliament at the time, unlike today’s politicians, wisely disagreed with the publishing industry lobby – the copyright industry of the time. Instead, they saw the economic value in an educated and cultural populace, and passed a law allowing free public libraries in 1850, so that local libraries were built throughout Britain, where the public could take part of knowledge and culture for free.
In the US context, the founding of public libraries were most famously and substantially supported by Carnegie. A man of “crime and robbery” if there ever was one. When you hear “philanthropist” think “tax evasion”. Not to mention how he came into possession of all that loot in the first place.
I agree with the author’s point broadly but it’s not well made.
He gave grants around the world. The library in my small UK town was funded by him nearly a hundred years ago.
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The public has been forgotten in our intellectual property system. The intent of copyright and patents in the US Constitution is to develop a robust public domain, but it’s taken this long for Steamboat Willie (Mickey Mouse, 1928) to finally be free to use. (I say that as if nothing is going to stop it before January 1st, 2024).
Copyright is rent-seeking. It’s worse than theft. Its closer to extortion. But because it is done by the owner class, it is condoned or celebrated by the state. A state that has forgotten its people.
Staying true to the centuries-old library concept, only one patron at a time can rent a digital copy of a physical book for a limited period.
So sad that we solved the problem of knowledge scarcity, and because of greed we need to add it back artificially.
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