Slashdot Mirror
UK Copyright Extension On Designed Objects Is 'Direct Assault' On 3D Printing (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A recent extension of UK copyright for industrially manufactured artistic works represents "a direct assault on the 3D printing revolution," says Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge. The UK government last month extended copyright for designs from 25 years to the life of the designer plus 70 years. In practice, this is likely to mean a copyright term of over 100 years for furniture and other designed objects. Writing on the Private Internet Access site, Falkvinge says that the copyright extension will have important consequences for makers in the UK and EU: "This change means that people will be prohibited from using 3D printing and other maker technologies to manufacture such objects, and that for a full century." Falkvinge points out a crucial difference between the previous UK protection for designs, which was based on what are called "design rights" plus a short copyright term, and the situation now, which involves design rights and a much-longer copyright term. With design rights, "you're absolutely and one hundred percent free to make copies of it for your own use with your own tools and materials," Falkvinge writes. "When something is under copyright, you are not. Therefore, this move is a direct assault on the 3D printing revolution." "Moving furniture design from a [design right] to copyright law means that people can and will indeed be prosecuted for manufacturing their own furniture using their own tools," Falkvinge claims.
The incentive to do this is obvious.
Wealth is measured in dollars, but what it is a measure of is: influence over others. The more independent people are, the less influence the wealthy have over them. Therefore, the 3d printing revolution is a direct assault against the wealth of the wealthy.
They are just striking back.
What is the impact of this outside of the UK ? Since they are brexiting anyway the damage may be limited to just a single (potentially shrinking) country. Are there any other countries that have similar laws ?
I disagree, 10 years is a bit long.
I will argue that doctors, firemen, first responders, etc do more important important work than "creators", yet none of them is paid one additional cent for past work.
Sorry, this is rent seeking, nothing more. Most people will make furniture that is comfortable for them. And now, if it just happens to like some commercial design, it is prohibited. It's bullshit. It's real intent is obvious, but it will be a long time before this wall gets knocked down.
It's too bad you would even consider this. It's like telling people they can't grow their own food.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I will argue that doctors, firemen, first responders, etc do more important important work than "creators"
... and I would argue that they don't. A fireman is basically a commodity. One fireman can usually do anything another fireman can do. That is not true with artists.
yet none of them is paid one additional cent for past work.
Silly analogy. They are paid a fixed salary. Artists generally are not, and when they are, they usually sign away their creative rights.
Its about fucking time.
Look crybaby, the only reason you had been able to claim your "design" warranted specific amounts of money was because other people had been willing to pay for it. This is changing. You want to keep getting paid? Finish the job and manufacture it. Or sell it as a kit. Otherwise, if I can make something just as good myself, I will, and then I'll make another and sell it to my neighbor. I don't care how bent out of shape you get over it when I do. I don't care a rats ass if its similar in design to the one you drafted up on a piece of paper. I don't give fuck-all about your feeling on the matter. If it put sawdust on my shop floor, or used some of my filament, its mine. If my 2 hands built it and it happens looks like some catalog shit, well it must be a great catalog, but that makes my creation no less mine.
I'm looking forward to the slashdot stories regarding the super-legit lawsuits brought against those legions of dishonest craftsmen, by the fine and upstanding companies that will soon control the manufacturing schematics and plans for everything.
Now if you will excuse me, my patent for "flat writing surface on 4 legs" just came back,and my copyright application was just approved for my new song, I call it "whistle'n noises" Now all I need to to is get my trusty lawyer to work extracting money from you guys for hand-writing letters (totes my idea btw) or whistling some noises.
You are being ripped off every second of every day, so that advertisers can help rip you off even more tomorrow.
The greatest wealth creator is Liberty. It frees men to pursue the talents and skills they have unrestricted by tyrant's rules. Human Capital is the greatest wealth creator, and economic wealth is just a reflection of that. If you want to free the economic capital from the wealthy, free the human capital from the rules and regulations and taxes the stifle human capital. The wealthy cannot contain human capital of others in a free and open economic system.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.