Dapx

Apple’s App Store lately bears a curious resemblance to the American book trade of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At the time, Congress hadn’t gotten around yet to settling copyright law. Often, printers would poach each other’s works. Royalties existed in theory rather than practice. Writers, as always, were routinely cheated of their earnings. Noah Webster, the dictionary man, fought for years against publishers who made a fortune on his Blue Back Spellers while he struggled to eke out a living.