Sunday, July 06, 2003
: File Swappers to RIAA: Download This! (TechNews.com): "'Forget about it, dude -- even genocidal litigation can't stop file sharers,' said Wayne Rosso, president of Grokster." That quote in the Washington Post pretty much sums up the situation, even down to the use of "dude" by the Grokster prez. (incredible!) Usage of P2P networks continues to climb in spite of impending RIAA-sponsored lawsuits.Some people are going to get their lives extremely complicated. A lot of people don't seem to realize that even if you're innocent, a lawsuit from a billion-dollar cartel can screw up your whole life.
From high atop my objective perch, it's clear that some of our fundamental economic ideas are going to have to radically change if we have any hope of a enlightened society. When technology makes scarceness obsolete, we should be celebrating in the streets, not trying to make rules to protect outmoded suppliers. See global food production for more on this. What happens in X years when nanotechnogy means Joe Sixpack can walk up to the latest Hummer, take a digital picture and then assemble it molecularly from home? Shouldn't this be a good thing? Couldn't we then stop worrying about who has the luxury goods and start thinking about where humanity can go from there? This whole filesharing thing is just the tip of that iceberg. Like Tank said, "It's a very exciting time."
