Keynote Topic: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks

Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
Richard Stallman
Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed to fit with the system of
centralized copying imposed by the printing press. But the copyright system does not fit well with
computer networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for draconian punishments, and to
increase their copyright powers, while suppressing public access to technology. They wish to
establish a pay-per-read system for books, and convert public libraries into retail stores. If we
hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright—to promote progress, for the benefit of the
public--then we must change copyright law in the other direction.