« Slater on Miller on Hutchings on Von Lohmann on iTunes |
Main
| Dumb Mobs »
May 28, 2004
Of Chimps and Copyrights
Posted by Ernest Miller
Prof. Susan Crawford has an interesting post on empirical studies of primates and economic behavior (Chimps and Copyright). She speculates on what the studies might show and the consequences for the copyfight:
I had a fine time this past week listening to the chimp and brain studies in particular. (We law professors have terrible graphics.) This gets interesting when intangible "property" is being examined. Do humans have an instinct to uphold property, but perhaps not to uphold intellectual property [PDF] in the form of bits? Does this suggest that efforts to perfectly enforce tech mandates that hobble machines may be not only unconstitutional (because they give no opportunity for fair use) but also inhuman? [link in original]
Damn ... more things to read and look into.
Comments (3)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Big Thoughts
- RELATED ENTRIES
- › Oh and by the Way
- › Tor Sees No Increase In Illegal Copies After One Year DRM-Free
- › Free Publication on "Seismic Shift" in CA Copyright Law
- › EFF Challenges Bad Patent Filings - But There's a Bigger Issue
- › Video Game Development Game Ironic Piracy
- › British Photo Copyright Orphans' Concern
- › Mike Masnick Curb-Stomps Jaron Lanier
- › Microsoft Appears Ready to Relent on Xbox DRM
1. Seth Finkelstein on May 28, 2004 12:18 PM writes...
Isn't this just the "copynorms" argument dressed up in "sociobiological" terms?
Hmm, "monogamy, prostitution, and copright"? (monogamy and prostitution are two of the biggest behavior-is-hardwired-into-our-brains arguments)
Permalink to Comment2. Ernest Miller on May 28, 2004 12:22 PM writes...
Actually, I was going to make a note to that effect, but decided to just do a quick posting. But yes, I think it is highly similar.
Permalink to Comment3. Brad Hutchings on May 28, 2004 5:11 PM writes...
Not to be flippant (yeah, right), but picking your nose and eating your diggings turns out to be a very healthy thing to do. Should we encourage that as a social norm?
This kind of argument is Godwin's Law run amok. I suppose primates wouldn't even be able to honor a Creative Commons license.
Permalink to Comment