It just so happens that in AI it’s about copyright and with margarine (and most other technologies) it’s about patents.
But the point is the same. Technological development is held back by law in both cases.
If all IP laws were reformed 50 years ago, we would probably have the technology from 2050, today.
Sam Altman is a grifter, but on this topic he is right.
The reality is, that IP laws in their current form hamper innovation and technological development. Stephan Kinsella has written on this topic for the past 25 years or so and has argued to reform the system.
Here in the Netherlands, we know that it’s true. Philips became a great company because they could produce lightbulbs here, which were patented in the UK. We also had a booming margarine business, because we weren’t respecting British and French patents and that business laid the foundation for what became Unilever.
And now China is using those exact same tactics to build up their industry. And it gives them a huge competitive advantage.
A good reform would be to revert back to the way copyright and patent law were originally developed, with much shorter terms and requiring a significant fee for a one time extension.
The current terms, lobbied by Disney, are way too restrictive.
We will have to see.
Apple can charge $400 more, but if Samsung doesn’t, then they will lose market share.
And the EU is still one of the worlds three biggest markets.
So I am not really concerned.
And worst case, I switch to a Fairphone, which might not be bleeding edge, but it is still a better phone than my previous gen flagship Samsung or the flagship iPhone that came before it.
I see it as just running 2 years behind.
I agree.
Ideally, there are two types of profiles:
Archivalists who have a lot of storage and need pretty good uptime, but no need for high bandwidth. They should be rewarded for archiving, because they don’t really get a lot of upload credit.
Distributors who need low storage, high bandwidth, robust connections when online, but not necessarily high uptime. They just distribute the new and popular stuff.
I think the better private trackers recognize this and have systems in place to provide credit to people who seed rare torrents.
I agree, which is why I advocate for reform, not abolishment.
Perhaps AI companies should pay a 15% surcharge on their services and that money goes directly into the arts.