Faisel E R S Altawheed
Professor Klepper
English 113B
13rd December 2013
In prehistoric times, lack of
communication and sharing ideas was one of the most obvious physical
limitations to the evolution of societies. The world was in a slow developing
phase because everybody had to start from scratch without resources. Over time,
communication and sharing ideas improved as technology advanced, and with the
creation of the internet the world has experienced a dramatic change in the way
communication takes place.
"The way we change the
world influences the type of world we create (Glindo 5)." A change in the
world is brought up by introducing unique and effective ways of communication
and it becomes easy for inventors to benefit from the trial and error of others
in order to innovate with new technology. Sharing leads to success; it's the
reason for the current world state of the world. However, a problem rose in
1710 that prohibited the ways the internet allows for rapid, widespread
communication and using others’ ideas without permission; this is called
copyright. Copyright is an exclusive right given by the law for a certain term
of years to an author or designer to print, publish, and sell copies of his
original work (Simpson). In order
to form a new understanding of sharing that is beneficial for the world,
governments should remove the shackles from the communication that technology
makes possible by waving away copyright laws or fundamentally change the way
they function.
If
I asked, "What do you know about copyrights?" most people will immediately
associate the word in positive ways that protects people’s ideas by not
allowing other people to copy their work. They are only secondary, and from a
mature perspective, we should consider the alternative, the negative side of
copyright. Copyright is immobilizing the communication that has the power to
further develop technology by not allowing others beside the innovator to use
or to share it. In addition, it is deterring the use of benefits that come with
the creative work itself.
It
is true that copyrights will create profits for the individual or the company
by making their ideas exclusive, but it is also true that copyright may affect
the development of the world. In the year 1450, Gutenberg had invented the
printing press; it is a mechanical device or a machine for printing (Simpson).
That innovation had a great impact on the European society. Its immediate
affect was the quick spread of accurate information, which helped scientists
share their ideas throughout Europe to achieve new inventions. Imagine if in
the year 1450 Europe had strict copyright laws, where nobody was allowed to
print or share someone else’s idea without permission, or let’s assume that
Gutenberg had exclusive rights to the printing press and used it to his
individual advantage to make money. The world would not be what it is right
now.
While
some people believe that the printing press is the greatest invention that
occurred between the creation of writing itself and the Internet, Internet
technology has exceeded the printing press as a communication method for
sharing information. It has granted the user the ability to send and receive
digital files as pictures, music, and movies across continents effortlessly.
However, this action is considered illegal by copyright laws, and it is called
Piracy. During the printing press age, it would not make sense if copying a
paper was illegal because it belonged to someone else. People were benefiting
from what others had. Books were published everywhere that helped in creating a
wider, literate, reading public because the main priority was to benefit the
society.
The
companies who are misusing the copyrights are selfish. They could help the
world by letting others build upon what they have already achieved. As an
example of the abuse of copyright, they could turn off a website with a
takedown regime without filing a federal copyright infringement complaint
(Pallas 749). Instead of being afraid of competitors and giving them too much
credit, businesses must believe that there is enough out there for them and for
their competition. The more you share and help others, the more you learn. In
addition, even though the competition tried to copy their work, they would not
execute it the way that the original company does. Ray Kroc (McDonald’s owner)
once said, “Competition can try to steal my plans and copy my style. But they
cannot read my mind; so I will leave them a mile and half behind."
Copyright was made to benefit society and
protect the innovator’s motivation to create. However, with the advent of the
Internet, it does not fit in its current form, and it is being misused to
protect personal businesses. It is repressing and hardening the process of new
innovators applying their new creative ideas by forcing them to take permission
from the previous inventor, who usually refuses for personal reasons.
When
the printing press in Western Europe was invented, it faced resistance from
some organized groups. While they initially succeeded in delaying its adoption,
30 years later there were over 110 printing presses operating throughout Europe
(Cosgel 365). The same idea is being repeated with copyrights and the Internet.
Governments are trying to prevent creative works on the Internet from being
freely shared by applying copyright laws. However, the numbers of files that
are being shared illegally throughout the Internet are uncountable, and it is
likely to become legal to share those documents in the future.
Several
companies and associations are hopelessly trying to prevent the inevitable
destiny of the Internet and file sharing by making misguided moves. As an
example, “In September 2003, the RIAA [Recording Industry Association of
America] sued 261 individuals—including a twelve-year-old girl living in public
housing and a seventy-year-old man who had no idea what file sharing was."
In addition, the RIAA has charged an individual with $15,000,000 in damages
(Lessig 200). The people being sued are innocent, and the charges being
demanded are ridiculous. Those actions prove that the RIAA does not know
exactly how to stop the file sharing activity.
A new upcoming
technology that may change the world, and would face resistance from different
groups is called the 3D printer. A 3D printer allows the user to create a three
dimensional object by laying down successive layers of materials. This
technology is more affordable and easier to use than other manufacturing
technologies. This invention combined with the Internet will allow any user
around the world to create numerous tools and products just by downloading the
digital design file. It will also allow the people who cannot have access to
medicine in Africa to print their own tiny drug factory (Jones 23).
It has become
routine for Internet users to copy an image or graphic and then adjust and
print it for personal use. In the near future, people could easily load a
design file of an IKEA table from the Internet to print out a replacement for a
broken chair. In addition, people may be able to adjust the design to suit
their needs. Try to imagine how much easier life would be for the whole world
with this technology. Unfortunately, these actions are considered illegal by
copyright laws, and the users may get sued. The government’s current concerns
about copying and sharing music or videos through the Internet would be
meaningless when compared to the copyright violations that will be associated
with the spread of 3D printers.
Decades
ago, technology had reached a point where what we considered science fiction
became commonplace. Unfortunately, we cannot experience the full benefit of the
new technology and creative works because of copyright laws and personal
interests. Technology is developing so
fast, and applying the old copyright laws on this modern technology and the
creative works it makes the possible impossible. Trying to force that will just
produce a poor result that will not accomplish anything for law or for
technology. Governments and companies should reconsider the copyright laws and
think about the future. Copyrights are not fitting our present landscape of
sharing and definitely will not fit the future.
Works
Cited
Cosgel,
Metin M., et al. "The political economy of mass printing: Legitimacy
and technological change in the Ottoman Empire." Journal of Comparative
Economics 40.3 (2012): 357-371. EBSCO. Web.
23 Sept. 2013.
Jones,
Nicola. "The print revolution: three-dimensional printers are opening up
new worlds to research." Nature 487.7405 (2012): 22+. General
OneFile. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
Lessig,
Lawrence. Free Culture. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. Print.
Pallas,
Lydia. "Deterring Abuse of the Copyright Takedown Regime by Taking
Misrepresentation Claims Seriously." EBSCO 46.4 (2011): 745. EBSCO.
Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
Simpson,
John. "copyright, n." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford
University Press, 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
Simpson, John. "printing press,
n." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
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