Ethics of Creativity vs Theft

Michael Hamende (HamendeM@CTS.DB.ERAU.EDU)
Thu, 8 Aug 1996 16:48:33 EST


This discussion got me more interested in copyright. So I've been
cruising the web looking for stuff related to copyright/fair use and
the Internet, particularly as it relates to teaching in a
collaborative electronic environment.

As is typical some good stuff and lots of junk. Sometimes I long for
the "good old days" when you'd do a search and come up empty, instead
of 10,000 or 50,000 hits.

In one article, "the Expert" being interviewed says that copyright
protects the tangible results that come from ideas, NOT the ideas
themselves. Some seem to think the clause in the constitution related
to this idea protects research, the creation and sharing of ideas and
thinking from restriction as a way for knowledge to get forwarded.

He also implied the fact that those who create the ideas and then
create some tangible artifact, like a book or a journal article or
some other piece of writing, subject to copyright, seldom benefit from
the creation. Like when was the last time you or someone you know
made any (much) money from writing a book? Doesn't the author get a
few crumbs, while the publisher rakes it in?

I thought these were interesting ideas that might spur some thoughts
from the list.

Mike Hamende
hamendem@cts.db.erau.edu

Also, if anyone has any good sources for information on copyright and
this new electronic world we're in, I'd appreciate you passing them to
me. Thanks in advance.