Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mandrill!gatech!uflorida!novavax!proxftl!bill
From: bill@proxftl.UUCP (T. William Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Piracy
Keywords: copy protection piracy
Message-ID: <235@proxftl.UUCP>
Date: 29 May 88 04:13:01 GMT
References: <9160@cisunx.UUCP> <1801@uhccux.UUCP> <807@netxcom.UUCP> <384@motbos.UUCP>
Organization: Proximity Technology, Ft. Lauderdale
Lines: 36

In article <384@motbos.UUCP>, shino@motbos.UUCP (Rei Shinozuka MCD SE) writes:
) In article <177@proxftl.UUCP>, bill@proxftl.UUCP (T. William Wells) writes:
) > You goofed.
) > ...excess verbiage deleted
) > A minor joke here, to make my point:
)   ...joke deleted
) > (I seem to remember that this came from _Up the Organization_,
) > whose author I do not remember.)
) > A software pirate is a thief; anything he says to justify himself
) > is a rationalization for doing what HE wants to do.  His being a
) > thief is a consequence of his morality and has nothing to do with
) > the price of the goods he steals.
)
) Uh, excuse me, but you DID lift that joke, presumably without the
) author's permission (since you don't even remember his name).
)
) You goofed.
)
) The point you overlook is this: the author of that joke owns the joke.
) No one, other than the author has any right whatsoever to the joke.
)
) ...stuff deleted
)
) I'm sorry, I could not resist.  No hard feelings.
)
) -rei

And none taken.  But, since the author of the work made use of
the copyright law to protect his work, not even a Libertarian
could argue (without sounding even sillier than they usually do)
that he retained all rights to his work.

I do believe that my use of his work is permitted by the
copyright laws (else I'd have not done it so publicly :-)

P.S. Libertarians can flame me on talk.philosophy.misc.