Re:Some copyright is good (heresy, heresy!)
on
At The Crossroads
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· Score: 1
I think there are two adaptations to the current copyright/patent system that would be helpful.
Come to international consensus on copyright and patent regulation and enforcement. Not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but it needs to be attempted. The Internet makes conventional policing difficult at best.
Revise copyright and patent law to provide protections in proportion to the originality of the idea/work and the investment of resources required to come up with it. For instance, coming up with a new microchip fabrication technique deserves more protection than the "revolutionary" idea of one-click ordering.
Yes, automation has displaced a lot of factory workers and others; some smaller communities with large plants have been hit particularly hard. However, on the whole things are looking good.
It may be that the current economic boom is based on unsustainable levels of spending and overvalued stocks, but the fact remains that the economy has been relatively stable and predictable since Keynesian economics began to inform economic decision-making several decades ago.
What's relevant to this conversation is that unemployment is down despite years of increasing automation. Electronics have replaced human operators for the telephone system, robots have replaced auto workers, ATMs have replaced bank tellers, etc.
So how is it that we have low unemployment with all the jobs that have been taken over by machines? New jobs have emerged as the old jobs have disappeared. Service industries are booming. Entertainment, advertising, and news demand the services of writers, artists, actors, and other creative people. Science and engineering jobs are lucrative and plentiful in most fields. Computers have grown from scientific/military novelty to truly change the way we work, live, and play in just a few short years, creating millions of new jobs.
Sure, we should be concerned about the temporary problems of displaced workers. But it's going to be a long time before there are no jobs left for those who lack the skill, knowledge, or motivation to do anything besides unskilled manual labor.
The bigger question, to my mind, is when should we say "enough is enough?" Despite the economic indicators that say the standard of living is improving, despite all the marvels and conveniences that technology has brought us, most people seem to be working longer and harder than ever.
When I first heard about the idea of placing mandatory limits on how much you could work (I believe it's being tried in Europe), I laughed. Now I'm not so sure, though. You've got to work hard to compete, or so we tell ourselves, but when does all the hard work pay off? When do we stop to taste the fruits of our labors?
Slashdot Mirror
I think there are two adaptations to the current copyright/patent system that would be helpful.
Am I dreaming? Probably.
Yes, automation has displaced a lot of factory workers and others; some smaller communities with large plants have been hit particularly hard. However, on the whole things are looking good.
It may be that the current economic boom is based on unsustainable levels of spending and overvalued stocks, but the fact remains that the economy has been relatively stable and predictable since Keynesian economics began to inform economic decision-making several decades ago.
What's relevant to this conversation is that unemployment is down despite years of increasing automation. Electronics have replaced human operators for the telephone system, robots have replaced auto workers, ATMs have replaced bank tellers, etc.
So how is it that we have low unemployment with all the jobs that have been taken over by machines? New jobs have emerged as the old jobs have disappeared. Service industries are booming. Entertainment, advertising, and news demand the services of writers, artists, actors, and other creative people. Science and engineering jobs are lucrative and plentiful in most fields. Computers have grown from scientific/military novelty to truly change the way we work, live, and play in just a few short years, creating millions of new jobs.
Sure, we should be concerned about the temporary problems of displaced workers. But it's going to be a long time before there are no jobs left for those who lack the skill, knowledge, or motivation to do anything besides unskilled manual labor.
The bigger question, to my mind, is when should we say "enough is enough?" Despite the economic indicators that say the standard of living is improving, despite all the marvels and conveniences that technology has brought us, most people seem to be working longer and harder than ever.
When I first heard about the idea of placing mandatory limits on how much you could work (I believe it's being tried in Europe), I laughed. Now I'm not so sure, though. You've got to work hard to compete, or so we tell ourselves, but when does all the hard work pay off? When do we stop to taste the fruits of our labors?