[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by evollove

Which is why American literature was so slow to start. A book from England was imported, reprinted, sold dirt cheap, and Americans rejoiced at the near-free entertainment they were getting. Government regulations? Yes, at some point England said "Knock that shit off." After that, no surprise, American writing flourished.

The term "bootleg" comes from England too. People would go to a popular play, jot down the dialogue (they usually worked in teams) and sneak out with what they got, stuffed into their boots. Then, they printed and sold the goods. All legal, although friends of the theater might kick your ass if they spotted you.

Hence, the "bad" quartos of Shakespeare. Indeed, Shakespeare didn't want his plays printed at all, but gave in sometimes to roadblock bootleggers. He didn't want them printed because there was no such thing as performance royalties at the time. If you got your hands on the dialogue to Hamlet and put it on, Willie didn't get jack.

Once upon a time the concept of "intellectual property" didn't exist. I'm not sure it was paradise.

the precedent for the intellectual regulation was in the feudal trade guilds and craft licenses.. the crown regulated "manufacturing" by only issuing licenses to certain groups or individuals. These charters and patents were enforced through capital punishment no less! As with feudal land tenure, royal trade and manufacturing protected Imperial taxes and revenues.. these were after the printing press extended to written properties. Indeed remember Shakespeare wrote for the royal company, that is why the Crown protected his property. "Bootleg" copies weren't for popular reading they were the 17th century equivalent of dvd piracy.. they would be illegally performed in theaters that didn't pay the royal licensing fees and taxes