[extropy-chat] Social Implications of Nanotech

[Robin Hanson]

On 11/10/2003 Eugen Leitl wrote:
> > Even with self-replication current IP laws would defer most of the effects
> > for the duration of the patent.  Given the demonstrable clout of major
>
>IP laws has remarkably little clout when it comes to limiting the scope of
>information dissemination. This not only includes directly
>monkey-consumables, but news and virtual machines (software) as well.  ...

This is much more true of IP directly consumed by ordinary people than of IP
used by large corporations.  While people can and do now easily steal music 
and
newspaper articles, and probably movies will fall soon, corporations regularly
pay big money to buy software, and this doesn't look likely to change soon.



Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323