Page:The digital public domain.pdf/77

50 1. Creators and their public: from the long route to the short route

The case is often made that copyright, as we have known it for three centuries (which after all is a brief parenthesis in the longue durée of the millennial history of information technology), may no longer be an appropriate tool for the needs of creators and society in a digital environment. What is the basis for this — arguably bold; but also quite widespread — argument? The reply is quite straightforward: in the last two decades or so, the social and technological basis of creation has been radically transformed. The time has come for us to be aware that, in our post-post-industrial age, the long route — which used to lead the work from its creator to the public by passing through different categories of businesses — is gradually being replaced by a short route, which puts creators and the public in direct contact. This development may be sketched as follows.

In the analogue word, direct access to the market by creators was confined to a limited number of special cases. Otherwise, it could be taken for granted that the intermediation of business was necessary to bring works from creators to markets. In particular, books and records needed to be printed. For this purpose some kind of “factory” was required to