Re: NetRelease: Collecting Royalties in Cyberspace

>NetRelease
>
>A method for collecting royalties for digitally-representable
>intellectual property.
>
>
>How NetRelease Works
>
>In NetRelease, the period during which a royalty is paid to the
>creator is compressed to match the period during which intellectual
>property can be protected: an instant.
>
>Here's a simple example, a thumbnail sketch of how NetRelease might
>work.
>
>Let's say you have a book you want to sell. You broadcast an
>advertisement into cyberspace. People who want to read the book
>pledge to pay for that privilege. The amount they offer is their own
>choice. You get these pledges; if their total reaches the amount
>you're happy with, you release the book into cyberspace. At that
>instant, two things happen: you collect the money that's been
>pledged, and you give up all future cyberspace rights to your book.
>It may henceforth be distributed freely.
>
>
>NetRelease is an idea by Stephen Malinowski. John Barlow, Martha
>Mills, Maryly Snow and Jim Warren provided inspiration and/or
>encouragement.
>
>Stephen Malinowski
><smalin[_at_]well.sf.ca.us>

One of the things I like about this proposal is the way that it resonates with pre-copyright history. The Greek dramatists presented their plays for prizes in the agons, but they were then free to be represented; Shakespear made his money from the ticket sales for the original productions. We make a big thing out of copyright and patent, but forget the many writers and inventers who worked for prizes or immediate sales for centuries before the copyright concept ever came along

Buford Terrell
<terrell[_at_]sugar.neosoft.com> Received on Tue Apr 26 1994 - 02:01:05 GMT