Re: [dvd-discuss] Some opinions on the appellate court's decision (longish)

[microlenz(at)earthlink.net]

To take this one step farther....do we ban technology to stop all 
possible copyright infringements that MAY occur sometime maybe 
in the future? <NFW>

Date sent:      	Thu, 29 Nov 2001 17:57:57 -0500 (EST)
From:           	Scott A Crosby <crosby@qwes.math.cmu.edu>
To:             	Claus Fischer <claus.fischer@clausfischer.com>
Copies to:      	<dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu>
Subject:        	Re: [dvd-discuss] Some opinions on the appellate court's decision
	(longish)
Send reply to:  	dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu

> On Thu, 29 Nov 2001, Claus Fischer wrote:
> 
> >
> > As opposed to other forms of instruction, like recipes and
> > blueprints, where the functional aspect is not so immediate.
> >
> > Perhaps it would be good to argue that for many forms of
> > speech (blueprings, cooking recipes) machines can be
> > constructed which do the same (shove in normed blueprint,
> > press button, get result); the only technical aspect here is
> 
> Such machine exist commercially:
>   http://www.google.com/search?q=3d+prototyping+
> 
> For a quick description of the technology,
>   http://www.spectrum3d.com/sla_disc.html
> 
> 
> 3D rapid prototyping machines. Feed them a blueprint for a 3d object,
> and they build a model. there are many variants, I know of ones that
> can build paper, plastic, and there may be ones that can build metal.
> There's one in the building next to me.
> 
> So, you could, say, feed in the blueprint of a sharp knife into such a
> 3d plastic prototyping system, wait a bit, and pull out a plastic
> knife (undetectable in an X-ray)... Or, have it build some plastic
> doo-dad that literally breaks into a knife-like object.
> 
> The one referenced above can build any object fitting in a 20x20x23
> well.
> 
> So, since blueprints are now fully functional, have they lost
> copyright?
> 
> Scott
>