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Legal Pundits Pan Internet Exceptionalism
Back in Brown writes: "This article from today's Wall St. Journal (via MSNBC) presents the viewpoints of several legal commentators that the Internet should be treated like any other invention and not subject to novel legal interpretations. 'The steam engine ... probably transformed American law, but the "law of the steam engine" never existed.' Another quote: 'cyberbuffs are afflicted with "insufficient perspective, disdain for history, unnecessary futurology and technophilia."'"
cyberbuffs are afflicted with "insufficient perspective, disdain for history, unnecessary futurology and technophilia.
I prefer to think of myself as a nihilistic technofetishist.
(Name That Quote!)
--saint
That's DISGUSTING!!
Actually, both the development of railroads and cars have cause massive legal exceptions - perhaps this wasn't the case with the Federal roads (for example) in the States (although I doubt it), but wholesale forced confiscation of land for roading has been the norm in many Western countries. In fact, studying the history of rail in the US suggests a number of legal exceptions were made for the railroad companies in terms of how they wished to do business.
That said, I wouldn't be unhappy about winding back special laws for new technologies; we can start by invalidating business patents, patents on software, patents on natural phenomena generally, EULAs, grossly extended copyright provisions, acceptance of the notion that trademarks were meant to prevent criticism of companies, that technology companies should be exempt from normal labour law provisions like overtime and hiring immigrants, or that teh recording industry should be able to attack my property if they think I'm a crook. Getting fair use back would be nice, too.
Hey this ending legal exceptionism looks like good shit.
What's that? This is a complaint by vested interests who like these Draconian violations of existing norms and laws against citizens, not meant to cause us to reexamine the results of their special pleading? Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I didn't realise it was a device to enslave and shaft us harder.
Wasn't he the guy who patented a method for running into trees skiing? Although I think a bunch of people can claim prior art for that....
My life's goal is to get a score of +3!
cyberbuff indeed.
I am a follower of the church of technology that believes that enlightenment and ultimately ascension will come from technology.
Mankind will someday break the bounds of this rock. We will someday find and teach, and learn from other life. We will do all these things, or our lives, all our lives will never have mattered because we will simply cease to exist with no record, trace or impact.
cyberbuff my ass.
"No good deed goes unpunished"