The Omni Future Almanac is 293 pages of paleo-future glory. In the “Projected Computer Milestones” section of the book I naturally turned to 2007, curious just how far behind we are. It then occurred to me that if we interpret the DMCA in a certain way, we are sadly right on schedule.
Demand for a global Computer Rights Pact will lead to the signing of such an agreement by most world nations. This document will set forth rights of humans and computers over authorship of software (including books, movies, economic models, etc.), creation of patentable systems, and mistakes arising from computer recommendations. At the same time, a Computer Appeals Network may be established for countries to air international grievances. Even in the 1980s, questions arising from the theft of computer software and hardware have frequently arisen. American software companies have been particularly vulnerable to theft of material by Soviet agents.
