LAST THING WE WEERE TALKING ABOUT was bill gates and dos


Software topic
When computers were first invented, they had large chips
Many chips are integrated now, in the 50’s, each function had its own chip Each design was so unique, the software had to be unique (software for one computer won’t run on the other.)

In the 60’s IBM was king
Unysis built a computer like IBM but cheaper. It took IBM software and use it on the Unysis No software had ever been sold or used on another machine.

Define software as a product by separating hardware and software
Now IBM started to make and sell software. Problems with modern day selling software. (Can I give it to my family use it in my family?) Companies use licenses to allow users (family etc) Software rights as a concept is only 40 years old.
Software rights
Software Companies compare software rights to things like stealing cars etc, but software is like nothing else. Software isn’t made of any real thing, like a car is. Its just an idea (compare software to a story in a book where the book is the hardware and the story is the software). Having a book read to you. Then reciting it to others, is that stealing. You can read the stories to others but don’t do like a music concert with the book.

Everything became mixed up. Radio was free to anyone who had a receiver
Should playing a song on the radio at 2 in the morning costs less than during the day say 1 million people listen or 0.

Software should let the market forces should determine price and distribution.
Music on radio gets 5 cents to the artists (popular song is 5 cents, unknown songs is 5 cents) determined by US government (not free market)
Record companies lost sales when people recorded the radio with tapes
So government ‘taxed’ tapes (no matter what kind of tape) and gave that to the recording artists.

They didn’t tax DVDs/CDSs didn’t because there was too much resistance and too many other uses for discs.

NBC broadcast making free stuff, but cable companies sold it as a service. NBC complained that they were making money for content that they were giving for free. The government stepped in and made cable companies pay a fee for the content.

Software is just an idea (like stories in books are just ideas)
But software runs machines (even appliances) A lot of the times software runs hardware but its still an idea.

Since software is ideas it should it be patented But old software should have their patents expire. Japan (25 years) for music patents to run out
Billy Joel was popular for more than 25 years so his songs are common place on TV commercials.

Rights on Mickey Mouse since its so popular after a many years Disney lobbied to have their patent increased. From 25 to 50 to 75 years.

Fair length of time for a patent? Forever?

How about until the creator died?

How about a long time since the guy who made it has to support their kids?

Rights of the book should pass onto their kids
(because if he dies when his child is only two that would be unfair to his kid)