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Dennis Hackethal

@dennis.hackethal·​Joined Jun 2024·​2,904 ideas: 1,929 adoptable, 975 rejectable
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Founder Veritula.
Author. Software engineer. Ex Apple. Translator of The Beginning of Infinity.
dennishackethal.com

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1429.

But I was never party to that contract! I never agreed not to distribute it, and I also didn't actually distribute it. I just downloaded it from Pirate bay.

#1429·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Duplicate of #1392. Repeating an argument that has outstanding criticisms doesn’t address the criticisms. You can address the criticisms or revise the argument or abandon the argument.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1427.

So then JK Rowling can use violence against me to extort the value that I have supposedly stolen by downloading a book that was uploaded in violation of a contract by a third person?

#1427·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Not sure that’s extortion but yes, generally speaking, people have the right to use force to prevent and address the arbitrary in social life (#1345).

  Dennis Hackethal commented on criticism #1425.

There's this nice bit in Man, Economy & State where Rothbard explains that durable goods can be broken down into their unit services (not sure that's the term) and that all durable goods get used up as they provide service.

So I guess someone would reduce the serviceable lifespan of the bike by using it during the times that you aren't using it.

#1425·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Yeah. And if he takes it against your will and replaces it with a brand new bike it’s still theft.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1421.

It's a good point, but I don't think those two compare. Again, bicycles are scarce. My use prevents your use.

#1421·​Amaro Koberle revised over 1 year ago

It’s about value not physical scarcity. If you only steal it while I’m asleep and return it before I wake up and want to use it it’s still theft.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1421.

It's a good point, but I don't think those two compare. Again, bicycles are scarce. My use prevents your use.

#1421·​Amaro Koberle revised over 1 year ago

Duplicate of #1346.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1417.

Midjourney wouldn't exist... Our cool pics of Mujahideen eating Bacon wouldn't exist.

#1417·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

‘Couriers who jump start their careers by stealing bicycles wouldn’t exist.’

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1417.

Midjourney wouldn't exist... Our cool pics of Mujahideen eating Bacon wouldn't exist.

#1417·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago
  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1413.

I doubt it. I hope they keep doing it. I hope to live in a world where copyright isn't enforced. I expect to see more creation and novelty.

#1413·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

I doubt it.

You just say that without any reasoning.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1413.

I doubt it. I hope they keep doing it. I hope to live in a world where copyright isn't enforced. I expect to see more creation and novelty.

#1413·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

I doubt it.

Unclear what “it” refers to.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1413.

I doubt it. I hope they keep doing it. I hope to live in a world where copyright isn't enforced. I expect to see more creation and novelty.

#1413·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Duplicate of #1329.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1411.

Maybe LLM coders aren't stealing value but instead creating it?

#1411·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

They are creating some but also stealing lots. You could steal a bicycle to become a courier and create value as a courier, but you still shouldn’t steal the bicycle in the first place. And if the thief complained about not being able to create value because it’s illegal to steal bicycles, everyone would rightly laugh at him. It’s his responsibility to find win/win solutions with people, not leech off others in the name of ‘creating value’.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1408.

Nice, much innovation

#1408·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

LLM coders should come up with something else that doesn’t steal value.

  Dennis Hackethal commented on criticism #1407.

Yes they are leeches

#1407·​Dennis Hackethal, over 1 year ago

I should say, the issue of LLMs isn’t entirely clear cut since they don’t actually redistribute any text. So their output may not be a copyright violation in the original sense. Could maybe be a derivative work of the training data though (see #1322).

There are a lot of open legal questions about AI. See https://hawleytroxell.com/insights/how-i-really-feel-about-chatgpt-from-an-ip-lawyers-perspective/. For example:

Copyright owners and patent holders have no recourse against infringing, illegal AI output since the law has not yet caught up to create a remedy. So if I ask ChatGPT to write me some Star Wars fan fiction and I then place that content on the internet or sell it on Amazon, Disney has no remedy—except to sue me somehow, because they are Disney and have a lot of money.

And:

I cannot register copyrights in content authored by an AI because I am not the author, and the AI cannot register its own copyrights because it lacks personhood.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1406.

Wouldn’t copyright make LLMs illegal, too?

#1406·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Yes they are leeches

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1402.

Copyright just seems so arbitrary to me. The whole edifice of law around it. Why 70 years after the author's death? What's "original"? When is it "my own words?"

#1402·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

When is it "my own words?"

When you come up with it yourself. Like are you doing right now with your messages (to which you own the copyright, btw, unless the Veritula terms disagree, I’d have to double check).

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1402.

Copyright just seems so arbitrary to me. The whole edifice of law around it. Why 70 years after the author's death? What's "original"? When is it "my own words?"

#1402·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

What's "original"?

Drawing stick figures is not, writing down a completely new text with new concepts is. There are some gray areas but again (#1403), that doesn’t mean copyright doesn’t make sense as a whole.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1402.

Copyright just seems so arbitrary to me. The whole edifice of law around it. Why 70 years after the author's death? What's "original"? When is it "my own words?"

#1402·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Why 70 years after the author's death?

That seems excessive to me too, but you can thank lobbyists for that. Doesn’t mean copyright doesn’t make sense as a whole.

  Dennis Hackethal revised criticism #1398.

Copyright is a well known law in widespread use.

Copyright is a well-known law in widespread use.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1397.

I wasn't aware that I signed such a contract when buying a book. I think for the contract to be valid I have to be aware of the conditions, no?

#1397·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Ignorance of the law is not generally a legal defense, afaik.

If it were, any criminal could simply claim he didn’t know what he was doing was illegal. Which would be arbitrary.

Which brings us, again, to the purpose of the law: to prevent and address the arbitrary in social life (#1345).

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1397.

I wasn't aware that I signed such a contract when buying a book. I think for the contract to be valid I have to be aware of the conditions, no?

#1397·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

Copyright is a well known law in widespread use.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1394.

Copyright prevents the flow of ideas/information.

#1394·​Dennis Hackethal, over 1 year ago

Copyright doesn’t prevent people from talking about someone else’s text in their own words, as much as they want.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1394.

Copyright prevents the flow of ideas/information.

#1394·​Dennis Hackethal, over 1 year ago

No. Copyright never prevents consenting parties from sharing text freely as long as everyone agrees that that’s ok (see #1330).

  Dennis Hackethal posted criticism #1394.

Copyright prevents the flow of ideas/information.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1386.

So it's not me who's pirating the book that is violating her right. It's whoever uploaded it for me to download it, right?

#1386·​Amaro Koberle, over 1 year ago

If someone steals a bike and then gifts it to you that doesn’t mean the owner can’t have it back just because you didn’t steal it. Same for copyright.

  Dennis Hackethal addressed criticism #1389.

Lol no, I'm trying to understand your point. You're saying that buying a book is a bit like signing an NDA, where I can be held liable for breach of contract if I disclose information. Did I get that right?

#1389·​Amaro Koberle revised over 1 year ago

Not like signing NDA since you are free to talk about the ideas in the book in your own words, but kinda like breach of contract yeah.