Thread: The gift (or Free) economy

On Mar 23, 11:49*am, Serene Vannoy <ser...@serenepages.org> wrote:
> This article is a good example of the thinking that is behind the fact
> that I share all my recipes with anyone who wants them, rather than
> saying "Oh, but I'm writing a cookbook and I might want to make money
> with them some day!" *It made me think of the related threads here, so I
> thought I'd share.
>
> http://www.blogher.com/economy-and-community-free


Yeah, yeah. Some guy might need that info today, and the other might
never get to write that book.

It's nice to know that it's not always all about money. What's that
about lights under bushels?

On 2010-03-23, Serene Vannoy <[email protected]> wrote:
> This article is a good example of the thinking that is behind the fact
> that I share all my recipes with anyone who wants them, rather than
> saying "Oh, but I'm writing a cookbook and I might want to make money
> with them some day!" It made me think of the related threads here, so I
> thought I'd share.

I don't see anything wrong with charging for one's knowledge. Much of
mine I give away. But, if I was to need income and charge for, say, a
cookbook of my recipes, there's nothing wrong with that. I'd probably
starve to death, but the concept is a good one.

nb

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2010-03-23, Serene Vannoy <[email protected]> wrote:
> > This article is a good example of the thinking that is behind the fact
> > that I share all my recipes with anyone who wants them, rather than
> > saying "Oh, but I'm writing a cookbook and I might want to make money
> > with them some day!" It made me think of the related threads here, so I
> > thought I'd share.
>
> I don't see anything wrong with charging for one's knowledge. Much of
> mine I give away. But, if I was to need income and charge for, say, a
> cookbook of my recipes, there's nothing wrong with that. I'd probably
> starve to death, but the concept is a good one.
>
> nb

Knowledge is power, and sharing one's knowledge indescriminantly can
have very negative unintended consequences. Granted this is less likely
with food recipes than with military technology, but the overall point
remains.

On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:49:05 -0700, Serene Vannoy
<[email protected]> wrote:

> This article is a good example of the thinking that is behind the fact
> that I share all my recipes with anyone who wants them, rather than
> saying "Oh, but I'm writing a cookbook and I might want to make money
> with them some day!" It made me think of the related threads here, so I
> thought I'd share.
>
> http://www.blogher.com/economy-and-community-free
>

What happens if someone decides to patent or copyright something you
gave away for free and tells you to cease and desist?


--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On 3/23/2010 1:51 PM, sf wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:49:05 -0700, Serene Vannoy
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> This article is a good example of the thinking that is behind the fact
>> that I share all my recipes with anyone who wants them, rather than
>> saying "Oh, but I'm writing a cookbook and I might want to make money
>> with them some day!" It made me think of the related threads here, so I
>> thought I'd share.
>>
>> http://www.blogher.com/economy-and-community-free
>>
>
> What happens if someone decides to patent or copyright something you
> gave away for free and tells you to cease and desist?

If you can prove you wrote it first then that backfires on them because
you hold the copyright. Just the act of writing something down
copyrights it in the US and much of the rest of the world. Registration
of copyright secures additional rights for the author but it's not
necessary.

As for patents, if you can demonstrate prior art then the patent becomes
invalid.

Of course defending such things can be expensive.

J. Clarke wrote:
> sf wrote:
>
>> What happens if someone decides to patent or copyright something you
>> gave away for free and tells you to cease and desist?
>
> If you can prove you wrote it first then that backfires on them because
> you hold the copyright. Just the act of writing something down
> copyrights it in the US and much of the rest of the world. Registration
> of copyright secures additional rights for the author but it's not
> necessary.
>
> As for patents, if you can demonstrate prior art then the patent becomes
> invalid.
>
> Of course defending such things can be expensive.

In the case of a UseNet post it's very cheap to look it up in the Google
archive, print it out, hilight the date and send it in a registered
letter to the lawyer who sent you a notice. Attach a note saying that
demonstrates prior art or that you are the copyright holding original
author. Offer to not ask to have them disbarred for filing a frivolous
lawsuit if they terminate their case with prejudice. Point out that if
they do take you to court your evidence is that easy and you'll ask the
court that they pay your court costs then ask about punative damages to
keep them from bothering others with similar cases.