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> Wrong analogy. If you steal my toaster, I
> no longer have the use of it. If you "steal"
> a piece of software, then unless you took
> the CD, the original owner still has the
> use of the program. The SELLER can still
> sell. What they have lost is an artificially
> created and artificially enforced opportunity
> to possibly sell to the person who has the
> copy.
Same for a writer. He can just copy the text again and sell it to somebody
else after some company stole the work and used it for their own gain.
Any intellectual work - software, documentation, art, etc. is protected
from stealing and misappropriation.
> The other stuff, like copyright is artificial
> construct, brought about by lobbying or for
> somebody's political benefit, and will eventually
> be outmoded, rendered moot. People are already
> demonstrating en-masse that they don't really
> see the utility and are no longer willing to
> extend reciprocity for such rules.
Cool - then would you please write documentation for my company for free.
Because - you're work isn't worth PAYING for.
Copyrights protect authors, artists, etc. from stealing. The same
protection that guards MeloNasty, Inc. from stealing your art also
protects Adobe from Duncan Hackerbutt from breaking their software and
distributing illegal copies or ways to acquire illegal usage.
> Right OFF! You want him shut up, buy him off.
> If he doesn't STAY bought, THEN use force against
> him for breach of contract. But, don't use
> force as your first choice means of shutting
> him up. Initiiation of force is the easy, sleazy
> way out and invites others to do the same to you...
> reciprocity, remember?
Force is often the only way to make intentions clear. This is why we have
to drop bombs on people like Slobodan Milosovich. He won't stop until
there is a real threat. You're right in that force should be second or
third choice - but it must always remain a choice. Force or the mere
threat of force (be that physical, legal, or otherwise) is the only way
some people will be compelled into responsibility.
> It (PDF) wasn't stolen. It was examined. What was blabbed
> to the world was the manner in which it was flawed.
If I told a pack of criminals how to break into your house - am I liable
for the break-in? YES. That's called aiding and abetting. Its a crime, its
punishable.
> Throw a rock in any direction and you'll hit
> a company that is using LINUX on their servers.
Right - because Linux along with some other open source technologies have
been adopted by people with money and resources. That was my point. That
until there is buy in from the commercial sector - a technology doesn't
stand a chance.
And open source is not an excuse to rip off other people's technologies.
Kevin, I too would like to believe that somewhere, there is a utopia where
people respect each other and can build great things without fear of those
things being stolen or misused. But, this utopia does not exist. Some
people honestly believe that the universe owes them something and that
they can have anything for free. It just doesn't work that way. You cannot
feed your children with shareware and more than a company can pay its
employees with good intentions.
Copyrights and other protections are there to help ensure those that
invest effort and/or money into something can reap the rewards. If you
take that structure away, you will have dismantled one of the foundations
of capitalism. Why would ANYBODY or ANY organization invest money and
resources into something if there was nothing to gain from doing so? Why
would I ever write a document if my client didn't pay me for my work.
In other words - its NOT going to happen no matter how much you and
Napster want it to.
Companies, like individuals, have a right to defend their investments and
products. Its just that simple. If you tell people how to steal something
you are just as guilty as those who do the actual stealing and you should
go to jail.
Nobody is saying "don't test" these products. Test them. If you find a
bug, report it to the company like a responsible, decent person. Don't go
to a hackers convention and tell the world how to exploit that bug and
then expect the company to just roll over and say "hey, thanks for costing
us 38 billion in sales, we sure do appreciate your help breaking our
software and ruining our company. You're a swell guy. Have a cupcake on
us."
As somebody who builds and test security systems, I can tell you all right
now that there are a lot of holes in software still out there. But I
wouldn't even think of publicizing that without FIRST telling the owner of
that product and giving them a chance to repair it.
Andrew Plato
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