Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| reply to Doctor Four
Re: Hollow Victory
said by Doctor Four  :It is like the wars on drugs, poverty and terror. Yes there may be a few high profile victories here and there, but it will never be completely eradicated. This is true in the sense that trying to prevent people from copying stuff that other people created is a battle that will always be with us.
It is also true in the sense that the current weapons used to fight that battle are horribly stupid, counterproductive, and have effects on those of us who are caught in the crossfire that range from annoying to scary to downright deadly.
I'm a big fan of the GPL and its variants. I think people who volunteer their time and energy on projects that benefit us all deserve our undying gratitude.
I don't believe that because some people choose to donate their time, talent, expertise and hard work to the betterment of the community that everyone else should be forced to as well.
Creators of works of art (movies, music, literature, etc.) should have the freedom to choose whether to give away copies of their creation or sell them or keep them all for themselves. It's their work. It should be under their control.
That's not to say that the entire system of copyright isn't horribly flawed—it is. That's not to say that the **AAs haven't been incredibly stupid about how they have proceeded—they have been.
But I also think that devaluing the talent and hard work that goes into the creative process by freely copying the fruits of their labors without permission and without recompense is incredibly selfish and amoral. I've never seen any defender of copyright infringement make any kind of argument that would make me think otherwise.
On the other hand, some kind of moral argument can be made for legalizing drugs. I can also accept that some people, by dint of hard work, brains, and even a little luck will always end up better off than others. I can even accept that there may be some twisted, perverted kind of justice and morality at the core of some terrorists (Hell, the IRA used to get lots of funding from Americans back in the day). |
