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From: scotty@l5comp.UUCP (Scott Turner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga Software Piracy (names, addresses, numbers and pictures)
Message-ID: <305@l5comp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Jul-87 05:02:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: l5comp.305
Posted: Mon Jul 27 05:02:43 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Jul-87 04:10:43 EDT
References: <240@uscacsc.UUCP> <6375@eddie.MIT.EDU> <451@leah.Albany.Edu>
Reply-To: scotty@l5comp.UUCP (Scott Turner)
Organization: L5 Computing, Edmonds, WA
Lines: 102
Summary: NEADERTHAL knee jerking, NO. Careful thought, YES.

In article <451@leah.Albany.Edu> mreed@leah.Albany.Edu ( Mike Reed) writes:
>  So now I see my program pirated by some slime, AND the user community
>just says, "well, its not damaging OUR sales".
>
>  I know now what my next program is going to be. It's going to 
>unprotect, and subsequently delete, every file on every storage device
>attached to the machine it's run on. THEN i'll name it something cute,
>like "DPAINT III beta", and upload it to one of those &@_^^#%* boards.
Just when I think there is hope for man kind I see a NEANDERTHAL message
like the above. "Your dog pissed on my bushes, I'm gonna kill your dog."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world were that simple again? Anarchy at
it's best. Something offends you, you go out and blast it. As the ultra-
feminists would say "A red-meat eating macho-male's fantasy realized".

The world however isn't that simple anymore. Take for example the following
thoughts...

FIRST these "pirates" are not raping/killing/mad dog animals. People like
to make them out as such, which is dangerous. If one of these people is
caught and brought to trial and it turns out he/she is a 16 year old bright
computer phreak who was just fooling around... You get what we have over in
comp.sys.mac. You should go read it, it's sure to really make your blood
boil over. There's an article in there from France trying to drum up
support for a CONVICTED "pirate"! They want to raise money etc to appeal
his conviction even though they freely admit he is a "pirate". But hey, the
guy wasn't doing it to hurt anyone etc etc etc...

SECOND these "pirates" provide a "service" that more than a few people value
highly, the removal of user traps from software. They actually have people
who support them because they're doing something they like. Sort of like
how we support the "Contras" because we want a democratic govt down there,
even though no one would want to live with a "Contra". The ol' "Sure they
may be doing XXX, which I personally don't agree with, but they're also
doing YYY which I do appreciate!" I can see the bumper sticker now: "Support
your local pirate, the program he breaks may be one you use!"

THIRD copyright law is damn tricky from what I understand. Let's try a few
"fer instances" and see what you make of them:

What if the software on a board raided was purchased by the sysop? What could
be done about the sysop of that board? After all it would be the people USING
the board that violated the copyright law.

What could be done to the downloaders of software from these boards if they
already owned legal copies of the software they were downloading? Say they
were downloading a DMCS minus the user traps?

And even worse, what if the boards were to get "savvy" and post a banner on
their BBS saying:

	"You can only download items off this BBS if you already own a
	legitimate copy of the software you download. This BBS is run to
	provide people with a) current revisions of programs b)
	de-trapped versions of programs. Proceeding beyond this banner
	means you agree with the terms stated."

Sort of like the "All models over the age of 18" or "By my signature I indicate
the materials I've ordered will not violate the 'community standards' of my
area" clauses that allowed smut pushers to go almost legit.

Wouldn't is be a howl to see a software vendor try to skewer a "pirate" for
operating a board under the above "shrink wrap license"? :) They might bag
the "pirate" only to leave themselves open for lawsuits under their newly
invalidated licenses.

But enough about the "pirates", back to your stated line of macho-male-ego
salve.

I think the term "murder" describes what you intend to do with your little
program.

While the "pirates" may have people willing to stand up and defend some of
their actions, I don't know of many people who would stand up and support a
"murderer". If all you did was bag a few pirates there would be those who
would stand up and say "They drove him over the edge!", but if your program
bagged a few "innocent" people you'd become public enemy # 1.

How could that happen? After all I'm sure you're asking "But anyone calling
that BBS to download that program would HAVE to be a pirate!" THINK! What
would a pirate do with such a program? Why more than likely he/she would
take it and start uploading it elsewhere, say CI$, GEnie, Usenet, local non-
pirate BBSes... I'm sure you get the picture.

Or maybe they'll get "smart" and use it to deflect attention from themselves
by saying "Hey look! There's a mad dog running loose writing programs that
could murder your computer! Let's go get him/her!!"

I hope you are willing to face the firing squad/mob if you carry out your
plans.

Maybe you should cool off and think of a better way to go after these people?

And for those that might read all the above and say I'm pro-Pirate. BS, I'm
pro-THINKING! I'm anti-NEANDERTHAL thinking. And I'm sure as hell anti-Trojan
horse.

Scott Turner
-- 
UUCP-stick: stride!l5comp!scotty | If you want to injure my goldfish just make
UUCP-auto: scotty@l5comp.UUCP    | sure I don't run up a vet bill.
GEnie: JST			 | "The bombs drop in 5 minutes" R. Reagan
		Disclaimer? I own L5 Computing. Isn't that enough?