{"id":117,"date":"2009-06-22T06:42:25","date_gmt":"2009-06-22T06:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp\/2009\/06\/will_technology_make_our_intel\/"},"modified":"2009-06-22T06:42:25","modified_gmt":"2009-06-22T06:42:25","slug":"will_technology_make_our_intel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2009\/06\/will_technology_make_our_intel.html","title":{"rendered":"Will Technology Make Our Intellectual Property Laws Obsolete?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Interesting take on the future of copyright and patent law by <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.ericreasons.com\/2009\/06\/intellectual-property-and-deflation-of.html\">Eric Reasons<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Every business model relying on intellectual property law (patent and<br \/>\ncopyright) is heading for massive deflation in our lifetimes. We&#8217;ve<br \/>\nseen it with the music industry and newspapers already. The software<br \/>\nindustry is starting to feel it with the maturity of open source<br \/>\nsoftware, and the migration of applications to the cloud. Television,<br \/>\nmovies, and books are next. <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.ericreasons.com\/2009\/06\/does-intellectual-property-law-foster.html\">I&#8217;ve come to question the ability of copyright and patent law to foster innovation<\/a>,<br \/>\nbut leaving that aside, the willingness of people to collaborate and<br \/>\nshare, and the tools provided for it on the internet, may render these<br \/>\nlaws obsolete.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And that means:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Journalists, auto workers, record industry players, retail sales<br \/>\nclerks, and marketing staff are forced to go looking for work in<br \/>\nshrinking markets. These businesses are either suffering from old<br \/>\nbusiness models based on increasingly artificial scarcity (newspapers,<br \/>\nmusic, marketing, software development), or are able to do more work<br \/>\nwith the fewer resources due to the newly created efficiency<br \/>\n(retailers). In short, businesses relying on artificial scarcity<br \/>\ncreated by intellectual property law, are businesses most susceptible<br \/>\nto deflation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interesting take on the future of copyright and patent law by Eric Reasons: Every business model relying on intellectual property law (patent and copyright) is heading for massive deflation in our lifetimes. We&#8217;ve seen it with the music industry and newspapers already. The software industry is starting to feel it with the maturity of open [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ePZm-1T","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2793,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2024\/03\/a-framework-for-thinking-about-disruption-of-the-arts-by-ai.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":0},"title":"A Framework for Thinking about Disruption of the Arts by AI","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"What would a strategy for the arts sector be for anticipating artificial intelligence, if consensus seems to be it will change everything?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts &amp; tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts &amp; tech","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/workshop-4863393_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/workshop-4863393_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/workshop-4863393_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C579&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/workshop-4863393_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C579&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3274,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2026\/03\/the-supreme-court-just-unleashed-the-era-of-radioactive-artist-ip.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":1},"title":"Did the Supreme Court just unleash the Era of Radioactive Artist IP?","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Authorship used to be a status granted by an act of creation. Now it will be a status you will have to defend through paperwork. We have moved from the era of the romantic \"lone genius\" to the era of the administrative author who will need to \"prove\" the machine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts and AI&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts and AI","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-and-ai"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geralt-copyright-7832745_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geralt-copyright-7832745_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geralt-copyright-7832745_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geralt-copyright-7832745_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geralt-copyright-7832745_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2009\/03\/is_the_nea_bad_for_the_arts.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":2},"title":"Is the NEA bad for the arts?","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"A ridiculous question, sure. The National Endowment for the Arts is the channel through which the federal government invests money in the arts. And though it's not much money, compared to what other countries invest, it's something. Besides giving money, the NEA also has the value of drawing attention or\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2009\/03\/is_the_nea_bad_for_the_arts.html#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"images.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/images.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":961,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2016\/08\/when-we-allow-technology-to-police-our-culture.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":3},"title":"When We Allow Technology To Police Our Culture&#8230;","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"August 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year I was producing the live streaming of the Ojai Music Festival and we decided to use YouTube to carry the streams. In a small outdoor venue, the number of seats is limited to a few hundred, and streaming the concerts greatly increases the number of people who can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts &amp; tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts &amp; tech","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/hands-1167617_960_720.jpg?fit=960%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/hands-1167617_960_720.jpg?fit=960%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/hands-1167617_960_720.jpg?fit=960%2C549&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/hands-1167617_960_720.jpg?fit=960%2C549&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3192,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2026\/01\/old-laws-new-ghosts-why-the-creative-resistance-to-ai-is-failing.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":4},"title":"Old Laws, New Ghosts: Why Artists are losing the Battle for AI","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"January 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The fear and concern are real. The issues are real. But we're trying to conjure up rules for 21st Century technologies with a 20th-Century vocabulary that's ill-equipped for the job.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts and AI&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts and AI","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-and-ai"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letters-4988771_1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letters-4988771_1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letters-4988771_1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letters-4988771_1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/letters-4988771_1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3125,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2025\/12\/the-disney-openai-deal-how-the-creative-landscape-is-being-rewritten-for-us-all.html","url_meta":{"origin":117,"position":5},"title":"The Disney\/OpenAI Deal: How the Creative Landscape is being Rewritten for Us All","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Like it or not, Disney's move is a big step closer to what an AI creative world might look like.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts &amp; tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts &amp; tech","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/disney-OpenAI-image.jpg?fit=800%2C294&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/disney-OpenAI-image.jpg?fit=800%2C294&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/disney-OpenAI-image.jpg?fit=800%2C294&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/disney-OpenAI-image.jpg?fit=800%2C294&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}