Unicode text, UTF-8 text
title: Copyright propaganda topics: ["copyright", "free software"] DATE: 2025-05-04 ---
Copyright ought to be rethought, now that computers and networks exist. Back when not anyone could make copies of books, it was reasonable to assume that if you were making copies, you were depriving the author of potential income.
I am not asking for everything to become libre. Reading a copyrighted novel isn't disrespectful to the reader, as running nonfree software is. But I believe that enforcing copyright through technological restrictions is not OK. As Steve Jobs said in Thoughts on Music, DRM (digital restrictions management) simply doesn't work. It only harms the legitimate users, as the illegitimate ones will find a way to bypass the DRM.
Copyright is unlike property, and the media and software companies call it 'intellectual property' to make you associate it with physical property, which isn't true at all. When a work is copied, nothing disappears.
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."
— George Bernard Shaw
Also check GNU's list of words to avoid.
This also happens with software. Simply writing proprietary software is already not ideal, but it's not the biggest problem. A much bigger one is the DRM in devices that forces us to keep the proprietary software they shipped with. The main reason we can't run GNU/Linux on most Android phones is that they have DRM, and that DRM changes with every Android update. The manufacturers say this is to protect their copyright or increase security, these are all propaganda. It is just to increase their revenue by making certain features artificially exclusive to more expensive models. There's no reason it should exist, other than harming the user who paid for that device and now can't use it for anything. I think this should be illegal.
These companies hate general-purpose computers. They don't want general computers to exist for ordinary people, only for them, and they want you to treat them as some sort of deities. They want to sell you appliances. On these, you can't install your own software (if you can install software, it must be approved by the company), you can't bypass DRM or even use them for something not intended by the company. General computers are simply not profitable enough for that kind of greedy companies. And they think they should have a legal right to sue you for that!
Copyright should be way more limited now:
The term should be reduced drastically, to about 20-25 years.
Private copying (not sharing) should be considered fair use and DRM shouldn't be used. With computers, it is simply impossible to stop.
Copyright holders of software should not be allowed to claim any rights on its output.
Devices where the manufacturer can replace the software (it is not in ROM) should also allow the user to replace it.
Ideally, all released software should be free, like GNU likes. Of course, this isn't going to happen.
Copyright was created to encourage authors to release works in exchange for a way to earn monetary compensation. When ordinary people couldn't copy, it was a good thing. However, now when everyone has a computer that can copy everything, it simply doesn't work anymore, and it needs to be completely redesigned.
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---
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title: Copyright propaganda
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topics: ["copyright", "free software"]
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DATE: 2025-05-04
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---
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Copyright ought to be rethought, now that computers and networks exist. Back
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when not anyone could make copies of books, it was reasonable to assume that
9
if you were making copies, you were depriving the author of potential income.
10
I am not asking for everything to become libre. Reading a copyrighted novel
12
isn't disrespectful to the reader, as running nonfree software is. But I believe
13
that enforcing copyright through technological restrictions is not OK. As Steve
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Jobs said in [Thoughts on Music](https://web.archive.org/web/20100208194544/http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/),
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DRM (digital **restrictions** management) simply doesn't work. It only harms
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the legitimate users, as the illegitimate ones will find a way to bypass the
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DRM.
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Copyright is unlike property, and the media and software companies call it
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'intellectual property' to make you associate it with physical property, which
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isn't true at all. When a work is copied, nothing disappears.
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> "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then
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> you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have
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> an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."
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>
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> _— George Bernard Shaw_
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Also check [GNU's list of words to avoid](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html.en).
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This also happens with software. Simply writing proprietary software is already
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not ideal, but it's not the biggest problem. A much bigger one is the DRM in
33
devices that forces us to keep the proprietary software they shipped with. The
34
main reason we can't run GNU/Linux on most Android phones is that they have DRM,
35
and that DRM changes with every Android update. The manufacturers say this is to
36
protect their copyright or increase security, these are all propaganda. It is just to
37
increase their revenue by making certain features artificially exclusive to more
38
expensive models. There's no reason it should exist, other than harming the user
39
who paid for that device and now can't use it for anything. I think this should
40
be illegal.
41
These companies hate general-purpose computers. They don't want general computers to exist
43
for ordinary people, only for them, and they want you to treat them as some sort
44
of deities. They want to sell you appliances. On these, you can't install your
45
own software (if you can install software, it must be approved by the company),
46
you can't bypass DRM or even use them for something not intended by the company.
47
General computers are simply not profitable enough for that kind of greedy
48
companies. And they think they should have a legal right [to sue you](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_America,_Inc._v._Hotz)
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for that!
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Copyright should be way more limited now:
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* The term should be reduced drastically, to about 20-25 years.
54
* Private copying (not sharing) should be considered fair use and DRM shouldn't
55
be used. With computers, it is simply impossible to stop.
56
* Copyright holders of software should not be allowed to claim any rights on its
57
output.
58
* Devices where the manufacturer can replace the software (it is not in ROM)
59
should also allow the user to replace it.
60
* Ideally, all released software should be free, like GNU likes. Of course, this
61
isn't going to happen.
62
Copyright was created to encourage authors to release works in exchange for a
64
way to earn monetary compensation. When ordinary people couldn't copy, it was a
65
good thing. However, now when everyone has a computer that can copy everything,
66
it simply doesn't work anymore, and it needs to be completely redesigned.
67