From: rdd@cactus.org (Robert Dorsett)
Subject: Re: copywright & Piracy
Organization: Capital Area Central Texas UNIX Society, Austin, Tx
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 01:25:04 GMT

In article <trent-250892112228@128.95.123.185> trent@mailhost.hsas.washington.edu (Eric Seablade) writes:
>Also I supose I am greedy for a wealth of information.  I also collect
>artwork
>and text files as well.  (what i dont suport in the software field I
>certinly
>do in the disk manufacturing field)  
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hmmm...


>Ideas are indeed property and software fits in that cattagory.  But people
>must realize that the nature of the medium is condusive to theft.  Its a
>sort of soft theft however.  The lines can grow verry fuzzy.  ones and 
>zeros can be coppied and modified to make very different things happen on 
>the screen. Is it the actual electronic pulses that are coppy right or is it 
>the result of those impulses.  Or is it both?  

Is it the theme of a book, the words of a book, the color and typeset of
the ink of a book, or the quality of a paper that is copyrighted?  Is it
the image that they make in your mind, or the neural activity?  Answer:
the physical expression is irrelevant: it is the *form* and *thematic* 
expression which counts (in this analogy: the "words" and the "theme").  

I wonder how strong a correlation there is between this type of pirate
and plagiarists and cheaters in school...  "Gee, Mr. Johnson, the reason
I copied it verbatim is because I would have said it that way if I had
done the research MYSELF...  What's the problem?"


>Soon this world will be infested with computers and networks as this very 
>network is evidence of.  It will be a data rich society, with more
>information
>available to those who can acces it than ever before.  

Not if people like you make it impossible for the "information vendors"
to do business.  You made it quite clear, yourself: it's impossible to
"copy" computers or *disks*, so people *buy* those.  The hardware vendors
get the money, so the hardware vendors lead the industry in innovation and
promotion.  Software in this industry is likewise led by, you guessed it,
the hardware vendors.  Until you recognize that software is as tangible
and precious an asset as something you can pick up and manipulate, this
state of affairs won't change, much.

I've always felt that "computer morality" movements, such as led by CPSR,
were so much cr*p.  But people who act with no responsibility, like little
kids with an unlimited credit account in a candy store, are rapidly helping
to change my views on this.  


>My hunger for knowledge
>often brings me to collect what others concider theirs, yet I do not take
>it away from them.  

Of course you do.  I didn't give you permission to use my program, did I?
Have you compensated me for that license?  Hell no: you're a thief.  You have
VIOLATED my copy RIGHT.  


> generosity is important to me.

As I've pointed out before, generosity is charity.  The software industry
cannot exist on charity: it must be run as a business, if at all.  Maybe
charity would work in some kind of socialist Utopia; not in this world.
On that basis, piracy must be condemned and all known violators prosecuted.
ESPECIALLY the pirate BBS's.


Incidentally, yesterday at a university-area copy store, a well-dressed
little punk jumped out of his Camaro and proceeded to start copying the 
pamphlet that accompanies Spectrum Holobyte's Tetris implementation.  I felt 
like calling the cops.  How cheap can you get?



---
Robert Dorsett
rdd@cactus.org
...cs.utexas.edu!cactus.org!rdd