Re: Wait, Wait... The Kindle Swindle?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nathaniel Borenstein <nsb () guppylake com>
Date: February 28, 2009 8:52:15 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Wait, Wait... The Kindle Swindle?

Couldn't resist one comment...

On Feb 27, 2009, at 7:36 PM, David Farber wrote:

> From: "Bob Frankston" <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
> Date: February 27, 2009 4:31:10 PM EST
> To: <dave () farber net>, "'ip'" <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: RE: [IP] Wait, Wait... The Kindle Swindle?
>
> Remember that the record industry had to fight to establish the  
> principle that playing a record was not the same as performing sheet  
> music. Fortunately we didn’t confuse the issue by having an  
> automatic sheet music player as we can today (like the book reader).  
> Would such a machine owe a royalty each time it preformed?

Actually, we did have such a machine -- I think you've just described  
the player piano, which has had its own copyright battles:

        http://digital-law-online.info/lpdi1.0/treatise17.html
        http://www.linux-magazine.com/issues/2008/95/player_piano_rolls

Incidentally, in tracking down those links I was totally astonished to  
learn that the last piano roll factory was shut down just last month:

        http://odeo.com/episodes/23864527-The-Last-Player-Piano-Roll-Soundcheck-Monday-12-January-2009

This gives me hope that my great, great, great, great, great  
grandchildren might live to see the retirement of the last COBOL  
programmer.  -- Nathaniel





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