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Ironic Moments in History

The printing press or more accurately, movable type launched the information age. This innovation could now allow faster and cheaper reproduction of knowledge.

MovableType.com (not to be confused with MT) has this to say:

Possibly the greatest invention of all time. The printing press had developed from the wine press in the Rhine Valley. It was there in 1440 that Johannes Gutenberg (c.1397-1468) began using the printing press in conjunction with a series of blocks each bearing a single letter on its face. The press used by Gutenberg was a hand press, in which ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of hand-set letters held within a wooden form and the form was then pressed against a sheet of paper. Gutenberg's name does not appear on any of his work but he is generally accredited with the world's first book printed with movable type, the 42-line (the number of lines per page) Bible, also known as the Gutenberg Bible or the Mainz Bible (for the place where it was produce.

Of course, what is not mentioned is that Johannes Gutenberg permitted the 'free' non-commercial use of his invention and hired the State to prosecute companies and individuals that installed the Printing Press for others and charged for doing so.

Oh wait, that did not happen - imagine if it did though. Can any of you write on a calfskin (vellum) or sheepskin (parchment) with a plucked feather? Certainly someone invented those too. The creators and their families are missing out on a ton of royalties, like Zug and Ugzug mentioned in the Tim.Movementarian.Com EULA.