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Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by ryandrake on Monday April 28, 2025 @11:51AM (#43822830)
If someone suddenly invented the Star Trek replicator, it would be instantly outlawed. The entirety of Corporate America would dump $ billions into lobbying for the harshest possible penalties for producing, selling, owning, or using one.
Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by indoordin0saur on Monday April 28, 2025 @12:56PM (#43823521)
But the corporation who invented the replicator would have trillions and would theoretically be able to out lobby them.
Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by ryandrake on Monday April 28, 2025 @12:58PM (#43823546)
I supposed we'd reach the inevitable equilibrium: Corporations are allowed to use and profit from replicators, but individual people are not.
Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by worldsayshi on Monday April 28, 2025 @02:29PM (#43824462)
Eventually replicators that can make other replicators would get invented and then who can or would care to enforce those laws?
Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by ryandrake on Monday April 28, 2025 @03:17PM (#43824932)
Everyone has access to the "copy / cp" commands, yet the USA to this day criminalizes its use on certain digital files, at the behest of the (relatively small) Copyright Industry. I have no doubt that a working "copy, but for physical stuff" would be criminalized in the same way, this time with massive physical goods industries pushing for legislation. Enforcement would be draconian.
Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by indoordin0saur on Tuesday April 29, 2025 @11:41AM (#43834163)
> Enforcement would be draconian.

Or at least some industry advocacy group would resurrect the "You wouldn't download a car!" ad campaign.

Re:To 'Reclaim Future-Making', Amazon Workers Published Coll... by worldsayshi on Monday April 28, 2025 @02:28PM (#43824448)
If it was an almost-replicator big corps would mass produce it and sell it. If it was an actual replicator that can also make other replicators you'd only need a few of them before anyone can get one from their neighbour.