Related:
- All-In Podcast Concerned But Confused about IP and AI Training
- Libertarian and IP Answer Man: Artificial Intelligence and IP
- Copyright Thicket and President Trump’s AI Training Data Solution
- Stop calling patent and copyright “property”; stop calling copying “theft” and “piracy”
- All-In Podcast Concern over China and IP “Theft”
- Lacalle on China and IP “Theft”
- Bullard, “Is Intellectual Property Theft?”
- Patent trolls as mafioso (and that’s a compliment)
I woke up this morning to my daily NY Times news brief email, only to find embedded therein this propaganda, the “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” campaign, which is “a project of the Human Artistry Campaign, a global coalition of more than 180 groups around the world supporting responsible, ethical AI.” The letter’s A and I in the slogan are highlighted in blue to drive the point home—this is about killing AI. It’s a group of artists and other copyright whores who want to shakedown AI tech companies with the threat of killing it with copyright.
The text states:
America’s creative community is the envy of the world and creates jobs, economic growth, and exports.
But rather than respect and protect this valuable asset, some of the biggest tech companies, many backed by private equity and other funders, are using American creators’ work to build AI platforms without authorization or regard for copyright law.
Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.
A better way exists – through licensing deals and partnerships, some AI companies have taken the responsible, ethical route to obtaining the content and materials they wish to use. It is possible to have it all. We can have advanced, rapidly developing AI and ensure creators’ rights are respected [underlining added]
It’s signed by many famous musicians, e.g. Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, and the members of R.E.M.
Look, we don’t want to kill AI, noooooo — we just just want you to be “ethical”… we don’t want to kill you—you know, “through licensing deals and partnerships”—we just want a taste! As Don Fanucci said in The Godfather II:
Young man, I hear you and your friends are stealing goods. But you don’t even send a dress to my house. No respect! You know I’ve got three daughters. This is my neighborhood. You and your friends should show me some respect. You should let me wet my beak a little. I hear you and your friends cleared $600 each. Give me $200 each, for your own protection. And I’ll forget the insult. You young punks have to learn to respect a man like me! Otherwise the cops will come to your house. And your family will be ruined. Of course, if I’m wrong about how much you stole, I’ll take a little less. And by less, I only mean – a hundred bucks less. Now don’t refuse me. Understand, paisan? Understand, paisan?… Tell your friends I don’t want a lot. Just enough to wet my beak. Don’t be afraid to tell them!1
Well, chumps, as to your “simple message”—“Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple.”—I’ve got a simple reply: copying is not theft.2
- See Patent trolls as mafioso (and that’s a compliment). [↩]
- Copying, Patent Infringement, Copyright Infringement are not “Theft”, Stealing, Piracy, Plagiarism, Knocking Off, Ripping Off; Stop calling patent and copyright “property”; stop calling copying “theft” and “piracy”. [↩]
You must log in to post a comment. Log in now.