I've seen the argument that the copy in RAM made by routers and even things like playback software should be treated as a permanent copy. People like the recording industry argue this in order to claim copyright control over these "copies", even though the "copy" is temporary, and only a small proportion of the "work" or conversation in this case exists in the RAM buffers at a time.

If this argument is taken to its logical conclusion, where would we end up? Have I illegally copied that book on my desk in the form of light rays immediately above it? How about the electrical signals in my audio amplifier? Why should RAM buffers be counted as copies when these existing short term "copies" are not?

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