Vviewpoints
DOI: 10.1145/2160718.2160727
law and Technology
Design for Symbiosis
Promoting more harmonious paths for technological
innovators and expressive creators in the Internet age.
THroUGHoUT HISTory, TeCH- NoloGIeS for instantiat- ing, reproducing, and dis- tributing information have volved in tandem with the
creative industries that cultivate, fund,
and distribute literature, music, film,
and art. Although the relationship between these technology and content
industries is often characterized in
contemporary policy debates as deeply
polarized and antagonistic, the historical record reflects a more symbiotic
and multifaceted story.
symbiosis in historical Context
Technologists and technology com-
panies have long played critical roles
in the emergence of the content in-
dustries and many eventually came to
see the protection and promotion of
expressive creativity as critical to the
growth and development of their busi-
nesses. It is no accident that the Gen-
eral Electric Corporation (GE), after
acquiring rights to the Marconi wire-
less patents in the United States, spear-
headed the formation of the Radio
Corporation of America (RCA), which
in turn launched the National Broad-
casting Corporation (NBC), one of GE’s
many subsidiaries and a leading con-
tent company. General Electric prof-
ited from the manufacture and sale of
broadcasting equipment, selling ad-
vertising on NBC stations, and selling
radio receivers and other consumer
electronics products.
