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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/new-monopoly.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/new-monopoly.html index 791d4da..a98d6ad 100644 --- a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/new-monopoly.html +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/new-monopoly.html @@ -1,15 +1,23 @@ <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> -<!-- Parent-Version: 1.86 --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.96 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> +<!--#set var="TAGS" value="essays cultural access" --> +<!--#set var="DISABLE_TOP_ADDENDUM" value="yes" --> <title>U.S. Congress Threatens to Establish a New Kind of Monopoly - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/new-monopoly.translist" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/ph-breadcrumb.html" --> +<!--GNUN: OUT-OF-DATE NOTICE--> +<!--#include virtual="/server/top-addendum.html" --> +<div class="article reduced-width"> <h2>U.S. Congress Threatens to Establish a New Kind of Monopoly</h2> +<div class="thin"></div> <p> Companies that want monopoly powers to control public use of the information we get from data bases are trying to pass a law this year -in the U.S. — creating, for the first time, a private monopoly +in the U.S.—creating, for the first time, a private monopoly over repeating publicly known information. They are using the “good bill, bad bill” method; the “bad” bill is HR 354; the “good” bill is HR 1858.</p> @@ -22,8 +30,8 @@ the bill would trample.</p> <p> So a second legislator introduces a more cautious bill, more clearly written, with some safeguards, avoiding some gross abuses, offering a -smaller handout to a somewhat broader spectrum of special interests -— and still diminishing the public treasury or the public's +smaller handout to a somewhat broader spectrum of special +interests—and still diminishing the public treasury or the public's freedom.</p> <p> The second bill is typically praised for its “balanced” @@ -40,8 +48,8 @@ This time, the “bad” bill is HR 354, which would effectively allow facts to become private property, simply through their inclusion in an electronic data base. Even mentioning more than a handful of the facts from any data base in a publication would be -illegal, unless you could get them from some other source — -often impossible, since in many cases there is no other ultimate +illegal, unless you could get them from some other source—often +impossible, since in many cases there is no other ultimate source for a certain kind of fact.</p> <p> Consider for example the scores of professional sports games. The @@ -74,14 +82,14 @@ that the pagination and page numbers were copyrighted, but a Federal court ruled against them. The court said that these page numbers don't result from creativity, so they are not copyrightable. But they are indubitably a data base, so HR 354 would prohibit anyone else from -providing this data to the public — thus granting West a +providing this data to the public—thus granting West a permanent monopoly on the law itself.</p> <p> HR 354 would also interfere with scientific research, genealogical research, publication of stock prices, and many other areas of life and work. So it's no wonder that it has generated strong opposition. The Supreme Court might reject the bill as unconstitutional, but no -one wants to rely on this. Hence HR 1858 — this year's +one wants to rely on this. Hence HR 1858—this year's “good” bill.</p> <p> HR 1858 explicitly avoids most of the outrageous problems. It @@ -101,11 +109,11 @@ It excludes data bases made by or for the Federal government. (But, by default, it doesn't exclude those made by or for state governments; this is a substantial loophole in HR 1858.)</p> <p> -A wide range of organizations are supporting HR 1858 — including +A wide range of organizations are supporting HR 1858—including many universities and professional organizations. Some of the letters of support show a clear desire for some kind of monopoly power.</p> <p> -HR 1858 is much less harmful than HR 354 — if we have to choose +HR 1858 is much less harmful than HR 354—if we have to choose between the two, we should prefer HR 1858. But should we have to choose between a big loss of freedom and a smaller one?</p> <p> @@ -116,8 +124,8 @@ specific evidence for this claim; it is based on an article of faith: a general assumption that nobody will do anything without a monopoly over the results.</p> <p> -Just a few years ago, people said the same thing about software -— that nobody would write programs without having a monopoly on +Just a few years ago, people said the same thing about software—that +nobody would write programs without having a monopoly on them. The Free Software movement has proved that this is not true, and in the process, we have refuted that general assumption. Selfishness is not the whole of human nature. One kind of @@ -127,7 +135,7 @@ results.</p> But data bases are not software. Will anyone develop data bases without a data base monopoly law?</p> <p> -We know they will — because they already do. Many electronic +We know they will—because they already do. Many electronic data bases are available now, and the number is increasing, not decreasing. And many kinds of data base are byproducts or even preconditions of other activities that people do for other @@ -177,10 +185,10 @@ keep it under 20 lines. Please email your letter to <a href="mailto:database-letters@gnu.org"><database-letters@gnu.org></a> also.</p> -<pre> -Dear Representative So-and-so - - +<blockquote class="emph-box"> +<p> +Dear Representative So-and-so, +</p><p> Congress is considering laws to establish a new kind of monopoly on electronic data bases. I am against the whole idea of this, because it would restrict the freedom of computer users. Private interests @@ -188,27 +196,28 @@ should not be allowed control over dissemination of facts that are public knowledge. As a measure to promote business, this is premature; the Internet is changing very fast, and passing any law about this issue in 1999 would be foolish. - -<span class="gnun-split"></span> +</p><p> Multiple alternatives are being considered for this bill; HR 354 is especially drastic and dangerous, while HR 1858 is less so. If you have a chance to vote on the choice between them, please choose HR 1858. But when the data base monopoly bill ultimately comes up for a vote, I ask you to vote against it, regardless of the details. - - -Sincerely, +</p><p> +Sincerely,<br /> Jane Q. Public -</pre> +</p> +</blockquote> + <p> There exists a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080906221815/http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm"> list of senators</a> and a service to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080611003520/https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml"> assist you in writing</a> to representative in the U.S. Congress [archived].</p> +</div> </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> -<div id="footer"> +<div id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to @@ -226,13 +235,13 @@ to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> - <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of our web pages, see <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations README</a>. --> Please see the <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations -README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this article.</p> </div> @@ -253,7 +262,7 @@ of this article.</p> There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> -<p>Copyright © 1999, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p> +<p>Copyright © 1999, 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p> <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative @@ -263,7 +272,7 @@ Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> <p class="unprintable">Updated: <!-- timestamp start --> -$Date: 2018/12/15 14:02:38 $ +$Date: 2021/09/19 16:26:24 $ <!-- timestamp end --> </p> </div> |