I have struggled with the copyright issue in several past posts. In my opinion, part of the problem seems to be to get people to examine the issue of “rights”. What is it they have a right to do? Why do people who have the free choice to ignore a resource if they disagree with the expectations of the creators, feel they have a “right” to ignore the expectations of those who created the resource.In my own strange way, I find the resentment of those who feel enraged because of the liberties MySpace and Facebook have taken when their personal data an interesting reaction to a very similar situation.
I wonder if they see the similarities themselves. You felt you made available information under certain conditions and now you find others have a different interpretation and have used your information for purposes other than what you intended. It is a frustrating position to be in – isn’t it?
The participatory web now or soon will need an infusion of resources. The transport system (e.g., Google) will be able to survive on ad revenue, but Google and other participatory web enablers only pass information around. Someone has to create the information and mechanisms to support the labor required have yet to emerge. The writers have already begun to strike. Now, perhaps, so have the consumers.
