So I’ve just finished Piracy by Adrian Johns, and I have mixed feelings. It was 600 pages and for one class it did make me want to cry but as historical and legal books it was amazing. The idea that intellectual property is really something that was an abstract idea even hundreds of years ago is something I suppose I didn’t consider. Johns however is quick to set you straight. The beginning is a fascinating look at the Gutenberg Press and how the concept of intellectual property came about. The fact that China had a printing system far more advance hundreds of years before and never came upon the idea of intellectual property makes Europe’s case so much more interesting.
Now however its something we take for granted. You know what happens if you plagiarize. There’s a good chance you’ll get kicked out of school or seriously reprimanded. If you do it a field that lives on citations your career is over. Yet its not simply just cite the author, there are rules and formats and what can and cannot be citied and what’s common knowledge and what’s not. It can be quite complicated.
Piracy in other formats, media is what comes to mind first, is also exceptionally common. Limewire, Torrent, YouTube, everyone uses it, and everyone does it. Does this make us bad immoral people? Or do we just want our favorite movies and music for free, because we’re cheap? I’m not sure. I do know, after reading this book I’m going to be much more careful about what I write in papers and where I get my music and movies from.
Anyway...just food for thought.
In other words I would like to get a little Elizabeth Swan and kick some ass on a certain ‘authority figure’ who is responsible for my grade and degree. At least she’s a universal hater? And on that note, I’ll stalk to see if the preview for Pirates 4 is out yet?
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