That's a common myth. One person, samuel slater, memorized the designs of textile factory machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British industry before migrating to the United States at the age of 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Slater US didn't steal anything using Samuel Slater.
I haven't heard of any other examples of US stealing intellectual properties in 1800. Plus, that's over 200 years ago. Would you like to bring up the something more recent?
For me it's not really the IP theft, and more the lack of an equal playing field for foreign companies in China. If foreign companies can't get the same effective rights as local ones do, then those other countries should give the same restrictions to chinese companies in their locales.
In the 1800's, not in 1800.
https://creativelawcenter.com/dickens-american-copyright/
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2013-02-01/piracy-an...
A somewhat nuanced discussion of the above:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130228/01324622146/yes-u...
Says who?
> Someone said "information wants to be free". That was 35 years ago.
China's great firewall will disagree with that statement
> China will catch up to the west whether it is by stealing, acquiring or of their own accord
Not if you safeguard your secrets, plus their own crashing economy will stop the catching up part
I just did.
> China's great firewall will disagree with that statement
Not really. The firewall isn't really stopping anyone. The reason Chinese people are unconvinced about the west isn't because they don't know about it. It isn't North Korea. It is because China is providing their own narrative. They have their own culture, services, infrastructure and increasingly opportunities. Sure, part of that dampening other narratives. But they are ultimately succeeding because they are making progress themselves.
> Not if you safeguard your secrets
How are you going to safeguard your secrets when, not only is it increasingly hard, but the utility of information is often also only as great as the amount of people knowing about it? A significant part of the industry (in the west) is foreigners to begin with.
> plus their own crashing economy will stop the catching up part
People have been saying that for years. Maybe it will happen. But there is also nothing saying half of the western technology industry won't go down with a recession and subsequent housing market crash in San Francisco, Stockholm, London etc.
What do you mean by recession? Depression? The west can survive a huge recession. Can Xi and his regime? I have doubts. Let me make a prediction. Xi will go down as one of the biggest failures in China. Mark my words!
Its easy to come up with a pro-western theory, I'll start believing in the impotent China narrative when I see some sign of it in observable reality.
Long term you can't. China will offer $10 million, $100 million or even a Billion to the person that knows /has access to everything. Add blackmail to really entice him /her. China really needs this tech, as per the article they're spending more on importing chips than oil. Add potential actions, ala ZTE, and it becomes a matter of their NAT SEC. Nothing is spared...
It’s just shifting power centers and really all comes down to corporate profits.
Europe has made this mistake before. Appeasing a totalitarian, expansionist dictator works well, abruptly to the point at which it doesn't.
To be clear, this is an attack on the sovereignty of a fully democratic nation with a population the size of Australia's.
Some things are more precious than "corporate profits".
Let’s see how that goes. ;)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-21/this-is-c...
PS. For the ones downvoting, at least say why and where you live.
PS2. Belgium (EU) and work for a Canadian company
Some readings: How Chinese hacking felled telecommunication giant Nortel https://www.afr.com/technology/web/security/how-chinese-hack.... China-based hackers burrow inside satellite, defense, and telecoms firms https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/06/china...