Circles of Human Nature

"Samuel E B. Morse, who patented the telegraph and invented its code, saw no use for Alexander Graham Bell's even newer device, the telephone. Morse refused Bell's offer to sell him the rights to the telephone patent. He was convinced that no one would want the telephone because it was unable to provide any permanent record of a conversation.

As people discovered that telephones could further romantic liaisons, guardians of the public morality voiced concern or disgust that sweethearts were actually making kissing noises over the phone. Appropriate language during conversation was also an issue, and phone companies would cut off customers for swearing (like today's computer Systems Operators, or Sysops, the telephone operators, or ''hello girls" as they were called in the early days, frequently listened in on conversations and had the authority to interrupt or disconnect calls).

Phone companies also tried to limit telephone access solely to the subscriber, threatening hotels and other businesses with loss of phone service if they allowed guests or customers to make calls. Telephone companies backed down from their demand that phones only be used by their registered owners once another technological development, the pay telephone, was introduced, and their continued profits were assured (this situation is analogous to the discussions of copy protection and site licensing for computer software today)." (Hawisher, G. E., C. L. Selfe, et al. (1999). Passions, pedagogies, and 21st century technologies. Logan Urbana, Ill., Utah State University Press ; National Council of Teachers of English.)

These are excerpts from the first article in this anthology, by Dennis Baron. Funny how greed and self-importance and blindness survive over centuries. Though I'm not sure the analogy with software today is the best. More fitting analogy would be with music DRM. Bold is mine.