Don't Share That Law! It's Copyrighted 481
Nathan Halverson writes "California claims copyright to its laws, and warns people not to share them. And that's not sitting right with Internet gadfly, and open-access hero, Carl Malamud. He has spent the last couple months scanning tens of thousands of pages containing city, county and state laws — think building codes, banking laws, etc.
Malamud wants California to sue him, which is almost a given if the state wants to continue claiming copyright. He thinks a federal court will rule in his favor: It is illegal to copyright the law since people are required to know it.
Malamud helped force the SEC to put corporate filings online in 1994, and did the same with the patent office. He got the Smithsonian to loosen its claim of copyright, CSPAN to stop forbidding people from sharing its videos, and most recently Oregon to quit claiming copyright on state laws." Malamud's talk at Google ("All the Government's Information") is also well worth watching.
Playing With Fire (Score:5, Funny)
I wouldn't keep prodding Arnold like that.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
Profit (Score:2, Funny)
2) Copyright California Bills before they're passed into law (since they're only copyrighting their LAWS.
2) Sue.
4) Profit!
No ??? step?!? Something is seriously wrong here!
That something must be that copyrighting laws is the stupidest idea that's ever been conceived.
Re:Profit (Score:3, Funny)
We understand (Score:5, Funny)
Webster copyrighted "ridiculous" and you didn't have the money to pay for a license, so you created your own word.
The purpose of copyright is to encourage creativity. See, it works!
Lock him up! (Score:5, Funny)
Carl Malamud is aiding the terrists! If the laws are freely available to be known by the public, the terrists will find out and obey them to avoid being caught!
The Governator (Score:4, Funny)
Heh.
Re:Can you copyright a copyright law? (Score:3, Funny)
Can you copyright a copyright law?
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! You've opened a universe paradox! WE'RE GONNA DIEEeeeeeeeeee
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:1, Funny)
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:3, Funny)
Marshall and Sutter [wikipedia.org] called me a fool back then. They told me the real money was in digging for gold. Who's laughing now!
Streisand Effect in 3...2...1... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:They can't possibly charge him... (Score:4, Funny)
Kal-ee-forn-ee-uh
I think you mean GAL-ee-forn-ee-uh.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
You could violate any copyrights you want, and when they try to cite the copyright laws, BAM!
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:4, Funny)
Uh oh, looks like Spain might have beat you to the punch... [wikipedia.org]
Nothing for it but to head to court!
Re:Not illegal (Score:5, Funny)
Copyrights on laws may be unenforceable but they are not illegal.
I sure am glad you popped up to split that hair. Without comments like this, where would we be?
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:3, Funny)
>Exactly. How do the creators of this portion of the law think their laws are not public domain?
Like the rest of them, I guess they want to sell you an expensive licensed copy they produce themselves.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
Your post made me think two things.
1) Don't corporations own most of our laws?
2) How awesome would it be if all laws were required to be in the form of a limerick?
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
"It is illegal to be poor. Off to the spice mines with you!"
*shudder*
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The Governator (Score:3, Funny)
Come with me if you want to live.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
It could be cool:
The act of ending a life
When aggrevated by previous strife
Or in the course of a crime
Shall result in a time
Spent as a large convict's wife.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
The people must have access to laws in order to obey them.
Communist! Laws should be kept secret so that terrorists can't abuse them. Whenever someone is arrested they should have to prove that what they did is not illegal; if they can't afford to buy official Law Books they are obviously parasites expecting to get something for free.
Ignorance is Freedom!
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:3, Funny)
Actually, no... it's the name of the procedure they used to fix John Wayne Bobbit.
Re:I say let them copyright it (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I say let them copyright it (Score:2, Funny)
In a locked filing cabinet in a disused lavatory behind a door that said "Beware of the tiger"
Easy to fix that one. (Score:1, Funny)
This does bring up the sticky issue of the browser cache, of course... If it's on the hard disk, then it is affixed...
Easy to fix that problem: Browsers have now just been officially declared to be copyright circumvention devices. Use or possession thereof is a felony. The gubmint will now throw you into prison for the rest of your life and seize all your assets and possessions.
Re:The recurring theme with copyright violation: (Score:4, Funny)
Ninja Law (Score:2, Funny)
Just like on Naruto when a hidden village creates a new ninja technique or jitsu they seal it away in a scroll and hide it somewhere. Then when people try to take it they send their shinobi and the the anbu black ops after them and they can kill the crap out of people who try to copy their stuff.
Replace:
"Naruto" with "Real Life".
"Hidden village" with "artist"
"Ninja Technique or jitsu" with "song or film"
"seal it away in a scroll and hide it somewhere" with "press a cd or dvd and sell it."
"when when people try to take it" with "you rip the CD/DVD and copy it to your hard drive."
"Shinobi and the the ANBU black ops" with "Lawyers and MPAA/RIAA goons."
"Kill" with "sue".
Now all you Narutards out there can understand what is being said.
So, in court press "I Disagree" and walk? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:5, Funny)
That's because Chrome is built on top of vi.
In vi :% makes you select the entire range of text, so this obviously means that you are trying to select TEH ENTIRE INTARWEB!!!111
So Chrome runs out of memory and crashes.
Re:California Strikes Again (Score:3, Funny)