It's good to be reminded that just 300 years ago, people didn't even have a concept of copyright. These days, copyrights are often described as natural rights founded on basic ethics, but that's just not the case. Copyrights are a set of laws that were invented by people to have certain effects on society.

I see things like these Amazon reviews for Tweet Nothings and I'm amazed at how effective the PR departments of the copyright industries have been at making us think like they want us to. Almost all of them could have been written by the RIAA or MPAA. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593597770

It hasn't aged well.

It's remarkable that the article claims reasons for copyright originally were not for the protection of authors, but for the control of descent spread by printing. At the risk of sounding like a nut, could history be repeating itself? Rules cutting web connections without trial sound like they will be enacted in law in the UK. ISPs are obliged to monitor subscriber's traffic. Are these powers open to abuse?

I think it might be on its deathbed.