Such obligatory
registration granted the publisher the right to exclusively
copy the registered book (often, a class of books) for a
number of years - but politically restricted printable
content, often by force. Freedom of the press and free speech
are still distant dreams in many corners of the earth. The
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the V-chip and other
privacy invading, dissemination inhibiting, and censorship
imposing measures perpetuate a veteran if not so venerable
tradition.
VII. The More it Changes
The more it changes, the more it stays the same. If the
history of the book teaches us anything it is that there are
no limits to the ingenuity with which publishers, authors, and
booksellers, re-invent old practices. Technological and
marketing innovations are invariably perceived as threats -
only to be adopted later as articles of faith. Publishing
faces the same issues and challenges it faced five hundred
years ago and responds to them in much the same way. Yet,
every generation believes its experiences to be unique and
unprecedented.
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