Klarinet Archive - Posting 000253.txt from 2000/08

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: RE: [kl] My memory did not deceive me after all
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 13:20:30 -0400

<><> Kevin=A0Fay wrote:
Of course, the big record companies could help this out by providing the
folks like Summit with the original master tapes, which would greatly
enhance our enjoyment. But they typically won't -- but won't release the
good stuff either.

Perhaps my view of all this is 'shallow'; but copyrights expire
because, at some point in time, the 'public good' becomes more important
than 'private property rights.' Therefore, at the most fundamental
level, you must decide how significantly the 'public' is being deprived
if the owner of a tape (or any other recording or sheet music) refuses
to release it.
And of course this opens up all sorts of debate about role of law
in society, aesthetic value judgements, and so on.
The value of art is not quantifiable -- not even during an auction,
really -- and so if a major decision were handed down by a court in
regards to something as amorphous as the 'value to the public' of an
artistic performance, the eventual effect could be larger and more
significant than (say) a medical patent case where the courts are
dealing with quantifiable issues -- dead vs. alive, mortality rates,
number of patients afflicted, etc.
A basic adjustment in society's values occurs/is required when the
argument boils down to: "I don't care about statistics. This is how I
_feel_ about it."

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org