kibiz0r , 11 days ago

Decades of draconian copyright law really scrambled our brains until we forgot there was anything other than copyright, eh?

I’m not saying it’s stealing. I’ve been in favor of sampling, scraping, and pirating since the 90s. Culture is a global conversation. It’s perhaps the most important thing we’ve ever invented. And you have an innate right to participate, regardless of your ability to pay the tolls enacted by the chokepoint capitalists. I’m not against piracy, and I’m not in favor of expanding copyright law.

I’m against letting market forces – those very same chokepoint capitalists – signal-jam that all-important conversation for their own profit. I’m in favor of enforcing already-existing antitrust law. Something we’ve conveniently forgotten how to do for the past 70 years.

Charge them with anti-competitive business practices. Make them start over with artists who want to nurture their digital doppelgangers. That’s fine. Just don’t tell me the only option is “You must compete against an algorithmically-amplified version of yourself from now on, until you give up or you’re done perfecting it”.