🚀 go-pugleaf

Date: 03 Jul 84  1329 PDT
From: Peter Blicher <uw-beaver!PB@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: copy protection
To: pourne@MIT-MC.ARPA, info-mac@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA

PB - Well, if you really want a solution, here's one.  First of all, things
will eventually get worse as everything becomes available in machine-readable
form--newspapers, magazines, books, etc.  If you can see it on a screen, you
can copy it, so copying can only be impeded, not prevented, unless the
hardware contains non-tamperable RSA boxes.  Here's the reasoning for another
solution.  As long as the user has to pay a significant fee for use, there will
be incentive for piracy.  Therefore use should be free.  As long as obtaining
stuff from the source is more convenient than copying, there will be
disincentive for piracy.  Therefore everything should be readily obtainable.
How does the originator get paid?  By the Government, of course.  More exactly,
some central organization provides the data, notes how many copies have been
sent out, and reimburses at some legislated rate (per word, per work, or
whatever).  Where does the money come from?  Taxation, either general (like
paying for the current copyright office, library of congress, roads for the
common good, etc.) or on the reproduction equipment.  To keep authors from
ordering infinite copies to get extra royalties, the system has to
allow only 1 copy per customer (in the appropriate sense--organizations
would get more).