From: dsteinbe@nmsu.edu (David Steinberg)
Subject: Re: Why can't the liberals just admit that public education has failed? (Re: The New Education President)
Organization: New Mexico State University
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 15:04:09 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.233831.23174@samba.oit.unc.edu> bolden@beta.math.unc.edu (Jeffrey Bolden) writes:
>In article <C0I0xJ.MLL@rice.edu> ervan@rice.edu (Ervan Darnell) writes:
>>
>>
>>My first reaction is: what about radar detectors?  I have always thought they
>>should be legal under the notion that radio signals are public.
>>Of course, this begs the question of what does 'content' mean in
>>this context.  How can I not receive the content of something unless
>>I am wholesale prevented from receiving the signal?  I.e. does it make
>>any sense to say you can receive a signal but not try to understand
>>it?
>>
>>How about this for an analogy: someone carelessly drops a copyrighted
>>novel on your lawn.  Are you permitted to 'receive' it (i.e. pick
>>it up) but not to read it?  It seems to me that in this case the copy
>>of it is yours, but that implies nothing about the rights to the work.
>>Why not the same with radio waves?  If you receive them (passively)
>>the instance is yours but that doesn't give you the right to rebroadcast
>>or otherwise infringe on the copyright.
>
>
>	Actually your analogy of the radar detector is a good one.  I
>guess to use your language yes, you have the right to receive signal but
>no right to try and understand it.  The anonlogy of the copyrighted book
>is also good.  When the author sells the book he is giving the possessor
>of the book his permission to read it, but not to duplicate, alter,
>republish, etc... it.  The person sending out radar signals is simply not
>giving yourthe right to "read" his signals.  Seems perfectly legitimate to
>me.  
>
>--JMB

How is this legitimate?  The reason I say that signals appearing in my
house are my property is the following.  Suppose WPDH is broadcasting
the entirity of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.  Suppose that for some
reason I want this album.  As far as I know, it is perfectly legal to
go out to your local Wal Mart and buy yourself an XL II and record it
off of the radio- EVEN THOUGH it is copyrighted material.  Similarly,
if HBO is showing Godzillia Versus the Smog Monster, I can make myself
a video tape of this.  Moreover, I could make 17 tapes of it (if I had
that many VCR's) and give them to my friends.  Therefore, I'd say that
the normal restrictions on copyrights do not hold in this situation...

-David "ZZYZX" Steinberg- King of the ellipses
       (dsteinbe@emmy.nmsu.edu)
**********************************************************************
*"There's a dog in the station  *"I can't believe I'm a junior and a *
* With a bad reputation         * film major, when all I really      *
* That's a sign of the nation's * wanted in this life was to marry a *
* Decay"                        * lobsterman and cook fish."         *
* -Phish                        * -a letter from Christie Searing    *
**********************************************************************
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton,alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.president.clinton