[Irtalk] Copyright Week: Open Access As The Antidote To Privatizing Knowledge And Learning | Techdirt

[Hilton Gibson]

The very first copyright law in the US was officially called "*An Act for
the Encouragement of Learning*." Indeed, that was the actual stated purpose
of copyright law at the time. It wasn't supposed to be a system for
protecting the revenue of artistic folks. In fact, it didn't even cover
most artistic works at the time. It was limited to "maps, charts and
books." Music? Not protected. Paintings? Not protected. Sculpture? Not
protected. That's because it wasn't about artwork, but about the spread of
knowledge through learning.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140115/11022325887/copyright-week-open-access-as-antidote-to-privatizing-federally-funded-knowledge.shtml
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