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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	nFebruary 8, 1978 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Michael Keplinger
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Assistant Executive Director and Senior Attorney
␈↓ ↓H␈↓National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Washington, D.C. 20558

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Keplinger:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Here are the comments you requested.  I am sorry not to have more time to devote to it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Comments on ␈↓↓Ownership of Computer Created Works␈↓ by The Sta≥, dated December 16, 1977

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α
considerations␈α∞raised␈α
in␈α∞the␈α
document␈α∞all␈α
seem␈α∞cogent␈α
to␈α∞me.␈α
 It␈α∞further␈α
seems␈α∞to␈α
me
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈α
the␈α
issue␈α∞of␈α
"creativity"␈α
is␈α∞a␈α
false␈α
when␈α
it␈α∞comes␈α
to␈α
the␈α∞copyright␈α
law␈α
bene≡ting␈α∞the␈α
public.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓The␈αobject␈αof␈αthe␈αlaw␈αshould␈αbe␈αto␈αencourage␈αpeople␈αto␈αproduce␈αworks␈αand␈αmake␈αthem␈αavailable
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to the public by assuring them of a property right in the results of their e≥orts.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Suppose,␈α
for␈αexample,␈α
that␈α
someone␈αinverts␈α
the␈αtelephone␈α
directory␈α
to␈αprovide␈α
a␈α≡le␈α
indexed
␈↓ ↓H␈↓by␈α∞telephone␈α∞numbers,␈α∞and␈α∞that␈α∞other␈α∞people␈α∞want␈α∞to␈α∞use␈α∞this␈α∞≡le␈α∞to␈α∞≡nd␈α∞out␈α∞who␈α∞has␈α∞a␈α
given
␈↓ ↓H␈↓number.␈α∂ Suppose␈α∂that␈α∂the␈α∂original␈α∂telephone␈α∂≡le␈α∂is␈α∂public␈α∂information␈α∂and␈α∂that␈α∂the␈α∂computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓program␈α
that␈α
inverts␈α
the␈α≡le␈α
is␈α
public␈α
and␈αthat␈α
the␈α
only␈α
contribution␈αof␈α
person␈α
who␈α
inverts␈αthe␈α
≡le
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈αarranging␈αto␈αoperate␈αthe␈αprogram␈αevery␈αmonth,␈αpaying␈αfor␈αthe␈αcomputer␈αtime␈αon␈αsomeone␈αelse's
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer,␈α
paying␈α
for␈α
the␈α
storage␈α
of␈α
the␈α
inverted␈α
≡le␈α
on␈α
disk,␈α
and␈α
advertising␈α
the␈α∞availability␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈αinverted␈α≡le.␈α (We␈αleave␈αaside␈αany␈αquestion␈αof␈αwhether␈αit␈αis␈αgood␈αthat␈αanyone␈αshould␈αbe␈αable
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α
≡nd␈α
out␈α
who␈α
has␈α
a␈α
telephone␈α
number,␈α
because␈α
with␈α
some␈α
more␈α
thought␈α
a␈α
di≥erent␈α
example␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓didn't␈α⊃raise␈α⊃privacy␈α⊃issues␈α⊂could␈α⊃be␈α⊃developed).␈α⊃ In␈α⊃my␈α⊂opinion,␈α⊃the␈α⊃person␈α⊃or␈α⊃company␈α⊂that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓created␈αthe␈α
inverted␈α≡le␈α
should␈αbe␈αprotected␈α
against␈αunauthorized␈α
copying,␈αsince␈α
they␈αhave␈αa␈α
right
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈αthe␈αfruits␈αof␈αtheir␈αenterprise,␈αinvestment␈αand␈αlabor,␈αand␈αto␈αencourage␈αthe␈αprovision␈αof␈αservices
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to the public.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        On␈αthe␈αother␈αhand,␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αno␈αcreativity␈αwent␈αinto␈αthe␈αwork␈αon␈αthe␈αassumption
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αthe␈αoriginal␈α≡le␈αwas␈αpublic␈αand␈α
the␈αprogram␈αwas␈αpublic␈αtoo.␈α Therefore,␈αcreativity␈αshould␈α
not
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be required for protection.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If␈α⊂this␈α⊃view␈α⊂cannot␈α⊃be␈α⊂taken,␈α⊂then␈α⊃there␈α⊂is␈α⊃bound␈α⊂to␈α⊂be␈α⊃an␈α⊂uneasy␈α⊃borderline␈α⊂between
␈↓ ↓H␈↓creatively␈α∂produced␈α∂and␈α∂other␈α∂documents␈α∂and␈α∂data␈α∂bases.␈α∂ It␈α∂will␈α∂encourage␈α∂attempts␈α∂to␈α∂add␈α∞a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓spurious␈α
creativity␈α
to␈α
a␈α
document.␈α
 For␈αexample,␈α
someone␈α
might␈α
redesign␈α
the␈α
the␈α
display␈αformat␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α
inverted␈α
telephone␈α∞≡le␈α
in␈α
order␈α∞to␈α
inject␈α
an␈α
otherwise␈α∞unnecessary␈α
element␈α
of␈α∞creativity␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. Michael Keplinger␈↓ ¬[February 8, 1978␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈α
give␈α
the␈α
≡le␈α
copyright␈αprotection.␈α
 There␈α
will␈α
then␈α
be␈αlitigation␈α
over␈α
whether␈α
a␈α
feature␈α
of␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓data base was spurious or genuinely creative.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If␈αcreativity␈αmust␈αbe␈αtaken␈αinto␈αaccount,␈αthen␈αthe␈αquestion␈αarises␈αof␈αwhether␈αa␈αmachine␈αcan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be␈αcreative.␈α This␈αraises␈αunsolved␈αand␈αcontroversial␈αissues␈αof␈αarti≡cial␈αintelligence.␈α My␈αopinion␈αas
␈↓ ↓H␈↓one␈αexpert␈αin␈α
this␈α≡eld,␈αis␈αthat␈α
machines␈αcan␈αin␈αprinciple␈α
be␈αcreative.␈α However,␈αthis␈α
depends␈αon
␈↓ ↓H␈↓getting␈αa␈αgood␈α
de≡nition␈αof␈αcreativity,␈αand␈α
arti≡cial␈αintelligence␈αdoesn't␈αhave␈α
one␈αyet.␈α It␈α
seems␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓me␈αthat␈αeven␈αif␈αmachines␈αcan␈αbe␈αcreative,␈αthere␈αis␈αno␈αconvincing␈αclaim␈αthat␈αany␈αpresent␈αmachine
␈↓ ↓H␈↓or program is signi≡cantly creative.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Comment on Hersey's ␈↓↓Additional views on computer software␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αargument␈αthat␈α
software␈αis␈αdi≥erent␈α
from␈αother␈αcreations,␈α
because␈αit␈αis␈α
to␈αbe␈αread␈α
by␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer␈α
doesn't␈αespecially␈α
impress␈αme.␈α
 However,␈α
if␈αthe␈α
Congress␈αis␈α
willing␈α
to␈αtake␈α
the␈αtrouble␈α
 to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓write␈α⊂a␈α⊂special␈α⊂Act␈α⊂protecting␈α⊂ software␈α⊂along␈α⊂the␈α⊂lines␈α⊂suggested␈α⊂by␈α⊂John␈α⊂Hersey,␈α⊂they␈α⊂could
␈↓ ↓H␈↓undoubtedly␈α
do␈αa␈α
better␈α
job␈αthan␈α
including␈αit␈α
under␈α
copyright.␈α Borderline␈α
cases␈αbetween␈α
software
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and literature don't immediately occur to me, but they might exist.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Comment on the ␈↓↓Data base subcommittee report␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αonly␈α
consideration␈αuncovered␈αin␈α
the␈αreport␈α
is␈αthat␈αsome␈α
data␈αbases␈α
may␈αbe␈αmainly␈α
used
␈↓ ↓H␈↓by␈α⊃computer␈α⊃programs␈α⊃rather␈α⊃than␈α⊃by␈α⊃human␈α⊃interaction.␈α⊃ What␈α⊃information␈α⊃these␈α⊃computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓programs␈α
may␈α
extract␈α
and␈α
how␈α
it␈α
may␈α
be␈α
subsequently␈α
used␈α
is␈α
hard␈α
to␈α
predict.␈α
 Therefore,␈α
it␈α
is
␈↓ ↓H␈↓important␈α
to␈α∞concentrate␈α
law␈α
on␈α∞general␈α
principles,␈α∞such␈α
as␈α
letting␈α∞people␈α
control␈α∞their␈α
property.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓An␈α∂attempt␈α∂to␈α∂de≡ne␈α∂fair␈α∂use␈α∂that␈α∂doesn't␈α∞take␈α∂into␈α∂account␈α∂or␈α∂explicitly␈α∂exclude␈α∂use␈α∂by␈α∞other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer programs may produce unexpected anomalies.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αam␈αsorry␈αI␈αdon't␈αhave␈αtime␈αto␈αconsider␈αthese␈αissues␈αmore␈αthoroughly,␈αbut␈αI␈αam␈αrelieved␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have the impression that you are doing a good job.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science