--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the early days of the software…" description: "\"In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about patents - they copied each other willy-nilly.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png" --- # In the early days of the software industry, people cared… ![“In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about patents - they copied each other willy-nilly.” quote by Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png) > “In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about patents - they copied each other willy-nilly.” [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early software culture prioritized sharing code over protecting ideas, treating patents as irrelevant. **In simple terms:** People shared code, ignored patents. Key Takeaway Embrace open collaboration while respecting intellectual property. Themes collaboration intellectual property software history Mood reflective critical Type historical analytical When to use this quote - startup teams - developer communities - legal policy discussions Key Concepts open source patent law industry norms Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing code affect competition? - When should patents be enforced? A Different Perspective Open sharing can hinder innovation incentives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) ## Related quotes > [Monopolies are not justified by theory; they should be permitted only when justified by facts. If there is no solid basis for extending a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/monopolies-are-not-justified-by-theory-they-should-be-permitted-only/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [I am explicitly not opening the giant can of worms that is the ongoing current discussion of patent, copyright, and trademark reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/i-am-explicitly-not-opening-the-giant-can-of-worms-that-is-the/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) > [From the Anarchist standpoint, these artificial hindrances which are the cause of three main forms of usury-interest, profit, and rent, are, in the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/from-the-anarchist-standpoint-these-artificial-hindrances-which-are/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [This does not mean that every copyright must prove its value initially. That would be a far too cumbersome system of control. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/this-does-not-mean-that-every-copyright-must-prove-its-value/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Copies have been dethroned; the economic model built on them is collapsing. In a regime of superabundant free copies, copies are no longer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/copies-have-been-dethroned-the-economic-model-built-on-them-is/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [We don't name God; God reveals His name to us. We don't have the right to exercise authority over God. God copyrights, He trademarks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/we-don-t-name-god-god-reveals-his-name-to-us-we-don-t-have-the-right/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/i-have-a-hunch-that-the-unknown-sequences-of-dna-will-decode-into/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [Making money from enforcing patents is no more wrong than investing in preferred stock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/making-money-from-enforcing-patents-is-no-more-wrong-than-investing/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [I've never filed a patent lawsuit. I hope never to file a patent lawsuit. That may be unrealistic, but it would be great if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/i-ve-never-filed-a-patent-lawsuit-i-hope-never-to-file-a-patent/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [It's very hard for individual inventors to get paid. For the same reason that private equity is valuable - broadly, that's a good thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/it-s-very-hard-for-individual-inventors-to-get-paid-for-the-same/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Microsoft, Apple, Facebook all bought huge patent portfolios to further their strategic game. They're doing what I'm doing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/microsoft-apple-facebook-all-bought-huge-patent-portfolios-to-further/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If people don't get paid for their inventions, that's not a good thing. In the case of many patents, there are people who aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-people-don-t-get-paid-for-their-inventions-that-s-not-a-good-thing/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Any replacement to the current copyright position (life plus 70 years) needs to have an answer lined up for this, and similar, messy edge cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/any-replacement-to-the-current-copyright-position-life-plus-70-years/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More by Nathan Myhrvold > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [In market research I did at Microsoft Corp. in the early 1990s, I estimated that the 'Wall Street Journal' took in about 75 cents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-market-research-i-did-at-microsoft-corp-in-the-early-1990s-i/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Our reactor actually burns nuclear waste as fuel. So not only is it safe and powerful, it solves an important issue: It actually reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/our-reactor-actually-burns-nuclear-waste-as-fuel-so-not-only-is-it/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Food, like anything else, lives in the physical world and obeys the laws of physics. When you whisk together some oil and a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/food-like-anything-else-lives-in-the-physical-world-and-obeys-the/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If people don't find what you are doing threatening, then it is probably not very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-people-don-t-find-what-you-are-doing-threatening-then-it-is/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Among modern occupations, only cult leaders and TV weathermen rival the technological visionary's ability to retain credibility despite all evidence to the contrary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/among-modern-occupations-only-cult-leaders-and-tv-weathermen-rival/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Crazy ideas sometimes work, and the technological society that we have is built on a foundation of those crazy ideas that work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/crazy-ideas-sometimes-work-and-the-technological-society-that-we-have/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [An efficient government is dangerous in the hands of the wrong man. Sadly, the right sort of man never seems interested in the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/an-efficient-government-is-dangerous-in-the-hands-of-the-wrong-man/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [When we first did 'Modernist Cuisine,' I think most people in cookbook publishing would have said, 'This is insane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/when-we-first-did-modernist-cuisine-i-think-most-people-in-cookbook/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [One of the greatest things that Apple and Jobs were very good at doing was daring to do the very different thing. It's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/one-of-the-greatest-things-that-apple-and-jobs-were-very-good-at/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The first thing that is not obvious to people is global warming is a less-than-1% effect. It's like being shortchanged at the bank by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/the-first-thing-that-is-not-obvious-to-people-is-global-warming-is-a/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Ultimately, my Ph.D. is in mathematical physics, focusing on quantum field theory and curved space-time, and I worked with Stephen Hawking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/ultimately-my-ph-d-is-in-mathematical-physics-focusing-on-quantum/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The way Moore's Law occurs in computing is really unprecedented in other walks of life. If the Boeing 747 obeyed Moore's Law, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/the-way-moore-s-law-occurs-in-computing-is-really-unprecedented-in/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [If you talk about sous-vide, then you have to talk about food safety, and microbiology, and heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/if-you-talk-about-sous-vide-then-you-have-to-talk-about-food-safety/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [A person's basic humanity is not governed by how he or she came into this world, or whether somebody else happens to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/a-person-s-basic-humanity-is-not-governed-by-how-he-or-she-came-into/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) [Explore all 134 Nathan Myhrvold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## More Copyright quotes > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Any replacement to the current copyright position (life plus 70 years) needs to have an answer lined up for this, and similar, messy edge cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/any-replacement-to-the-current-copyright-position-life-plus-70-years/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I think the reality is that copyright law has for a very long time been a tiny little part of American jurisprudence, far removed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/i-think-the-reality-is-that-copyright-law-has-for-a-very-long-time/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [“In our haste to disseminate news, it should not be forgotten that the Framers intended copyright itself to be the engine of free expression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-weinstock-netanel/in-our-haste-to-disseminate-news-it-should-not-be-forgotten-that-the/) Neil Weinstock Netanel > [In 2002, Google began an ambitious project to digitize every book in the world. It was intended as a search project: type in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/in-2002-google-began-an-ambitious-project-to-digitize-every-book-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/the-rights-of-copyright-holders-need-to-be-protected-but-some/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [In India, most people are not aware or are unconcerned about copyright laws. This has proved disastrous for the music fraternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilaiyaraaja/in-india-most-people-are-not-aware-or-are-unconcerned-about-copyright/) [Ilaiyaraaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilaiyaraaja/) > [You need to recognize that the copyright date on a book reflects when it came out, not when it was written - assume that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/you-need-to-recognize-that-the-copyright-date-on-a-book-reflects-when/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [Whenever a copyright law is to be made or altered, then the idiots assemble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/whenever-a-copyright-law-is-to-be-made-or-altered-then-the-idiots/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-like-all-metaphoric-wars-the-copyright-wars-are-not-actual/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/i-have-a-hunch-that-the-unknown-sequences-of-dna-will-decode-into/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [Napster's only alleged liability is for contributory or vicarious infringement. So when Napster's users engage in noncommercial sharing of music, is that activity copyright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boies/napster-s-only-alleged-liability-is-for-contributory-or-vicarious/) [David Boies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boies/) > [I'm a bit cynical that it ever will be addressed properly. I think it is healthy to get some sort of copyright protection. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-m-a-bit-cynical-that-it-ever-will-be-addressed-properly-i-think-it/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [The U.S. obviously has all the evidence they need to prosecute bankers. They just need to search their own spy database and then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/the-u-s-obviously-has-all-the-evidence-they-need-to-prosecute-bankers/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) [Browse all 235 Copyright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about patents - they copied each other willy-nilly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Myhrvold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-the-early-days-of-the-software-industry-people-cared-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Copyright" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-the-early-days-of-the-software-industry-people-cared-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/nathan-myhrvold-3298_copyright_in-the-early-days-of-the-software-indust_2954584.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the early days of the software industry, people cared about copyright and didn't give a damn about…” — Nathan Myhrvold", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nathan Myhrvold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the early days of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-the-early-days-of-the-software-industry-people-cared-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-the-early-days-of-the-software-industry-people-cared-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```