hackertube.io

The Surprising History of Copyright and What It Means For...

Google TechTalks · talk · Watch on YouTube

Law, policing & justiceHacker culture & free softwareWorld history

What it is

Karl Fogel's 2006 Google Tech Talk traces copyright from a 16th-century English censorship law to a distribution monopoly. It then surveys alternative economic bases for creation and distribution.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN uses it as the go-to history of copyright, arguing it was a gatekeeping tool and that creators don't need it.

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2021

What HN commenters said

  1. “Karl Fogel does a great job explaining the History of copyright”

    Karl Fogel explains copyright history and why creators don't need it.

    syshum, 2016-11 · Strong recommendation · in ““DRM is Used to Lock in, Control and Spy on Users””

  2. “your objection and many many other questions like that are nicely argued against here”

    Karl Fogel's talk argues against common objections to copyright skepticism.

    exo762, 2021-08 · Recommendation · in “Apple enabling client-side CSAM scanning on iPhone tomorrow”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: copyright, intellectual property, free culture, censorship, creator economics

Also recommended by the same people