Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watcgl!watnext!lindsay
From: lindsay@watnext.waterloo.edu (Lindsay Patten)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Copywrongs
Message-ID: <11144@watcgl.waterloo.edu>
Date: 18 Aug 89 18:27:44 GMT
References: <8908181535.AA08568@cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Sender: daemon@watcgl.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: lindsay@watnext.waterloo.edu (Lindsay Patten)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 38

In article <8908181535.AA08568@cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu> gnu-misc-discuss@cis.ohio-state.edu writes:

>Copyright laws are designed to prevent the theft of ideas, but what sort of
>theft is it which leaves the victim undiminished?

Consider the case of the novelist, if all copies past the first could
be had for free, or the cost of printing them out if necessary, how
could the novelist support him/herself?

Besides, having the best, most advanced software is a big advantage
when trying to sell a computer.  As soon as everyone else has that
software the computer seller no longer has an advantage, they have
definately been diminished.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of free software, I just think
that we have to admit that people paid cold hard cash to create it,
that they put themselves at an economic disadvantage by doing so.

>The solution is clear, and the nice thing about it is that everyone
>will probably hate it.

The solution is pointedly unclear to me!

>If we accept the fact that matter pellets and
>energy pellets are inherently capitalistic, and information pellets
>are inherently communistic, it should not prove all that difficult to
>come up with a new economic philosophy which is in harmony with the
>laws of the universe

If it is so easy please do so and let us all know the results!

Cheers,
	Lindsay
--
Lindsay Patten            "People are package deals - No substitutions allowed"
Pattern Analysis & Machine Intelligence Group                   lindsay@watnext
Department of Systems Design Engineering           lindsay@watnext.waterloo.edu
University of Waterloo              {utai|decvax|uunet}!watmath!watnext!lindsay