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767 lines
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Plaintext
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Computer underground Digest Sun Sep 13, 1992 Volume 4 : Issue 43
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Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
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Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
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Shadow-Archivist: Dan Carosone
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Copy Editor: Etaion Shrdlu, Srr.
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CONTENTS, #4.43 (Sep 13, 1992)
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File 1--Moderators' Corner (More FAQs)
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File 2--Re: Piracy/Social Context (#4.42)
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File 3--Re: Piracy/Social Context (#4.42)
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File 4--PD-related IFAC symposium, 9/23, Madison
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File 5--Cliff Figallo Online (From EFFector Online, # 3.04)
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File 6--Bill Clinton on Electronic Technology (From EFFector 3.04)
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File 7--Call for Cu-Related Papers for MSS Conference
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Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
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available at no cost from tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu. The editors may be
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contacted by voice (815-753-6430), fax (815-753-6302) or U.S. mail at:
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Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL 60115.
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Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
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news group; on CompuServe in DL0 and DL4 of the IBMBBS SIG, DL1 of
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LAWSIG, and DL0 and DL12 of TELECOM; on Genie in the PF*NPC RT
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libraries; from America Online in the PC Telecom forum under
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"computing newsletters;" on the PC-EXEC BBS at (414) 789-4210; and by
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anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) and ftp.ee.mu.oz.au
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For bitnet users, back issues may be obtained from the mail server at
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mailserv@batpad.lgb.ca.us
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European distributor: ComNet in Luxembourg BBS (++352) 466893.
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COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
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information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
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diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted as long as the source
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is cited. Some authors do copyright their material, and they should
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be contacted for reprint permission. It is assumed that non-personal
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mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise specified.
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Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles relating to
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computer culture and communication. Articles are preferred to short
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responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts unless absolutely
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necessary.
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DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
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the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all
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responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not
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violate copyright protections.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 11:21:01 CDT
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From: Moderators <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
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Subject: File 1--Moderators' Corner (More FAQs)
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Some more Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), incuding some not exactly
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asked but thought we'd respond anyway:
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1. WHY DOES CuD REPRINT STUFF THAT'S ALREADY APPEARED ON USENET OR
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FROM EFFector WHEN MANY READERS HAVE PROBABLY ALREADY SEEN THESE
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POSTS?
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We estimate that about one-third of our readers do not have
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conventional net access and read CuD from BBSs, public access systems
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without net-connections, or from other sources where they wouldn't see
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valuable information (such as the EFF posting below). Therefore, we
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try to provide a variety of material that would interest an incredibly
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diverse readership.
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2. WHY DO THE MODERATORS SAY SOMETHING IS COMING OUT IN ISSUE #4.xx
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AND IT DOESN'T APPEAR UNTIL SEVERAL ISSUES LATER?
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Sometimes our own personal schedules prevent us from writing up our
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own material or following up on items. Usually, however, it's because
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of practical concerns, such as keeping issues to about 40 K (which
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means that two 20K posts intended for a single issue must be split if
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we have several 5-10K posts to include) or trying to keep thematic
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issues in sequence (such as the SPA issue which will most likely be
|
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two or three sequential issues), or--as is the case this week--because
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of a long post that comprises most of an issue, which moves everything
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forward. Hence, #4.44 will be The Cuckoo's Egg issue, and the
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following two will be SPA issues.
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WHEN DO YOU KEEP REMINDING PEOPLE THAT CuD WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE
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AS AN ALT GROUP ON USENET?
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Because we are still receiving occasional posts inquiring why the
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comp.society.cu-digest version is not available on a given site. We
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are trying to be politely subtle in reminding sysads TO SWITCH OVER
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because the ALT version is about to disappear!
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NOBODY ASKED, BUT WHEN RESPONDING TO PREVIOUS ARTICLES:
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*PLEASE TRY* to keep cited material to a minimum. Generally, it is far
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better to summarize a post and make sure your own response is
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sufficiently clear that it addresses that post in a way that allows
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others to understand what the issues are. Good writing need not
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depend on long cites unless, of course, those cites are critical to
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the response.
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WHY DON'T THE MODERATORS ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF ARTICLES?
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We try to acknowledge *all* of them. Our system has no auto-reply, and
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everything is read by humanpholk. Sometimes things slip through the
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cracks. We'd like to think this is rare. We do our best.
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HOW DO I KNOW IF SOMETHING I'VE WRITTEN IS APPROPRIATE FOR CuD?
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If it addresses some issue of cyberculture, raises issues, provides
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new information, or generally says something people might find
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interesting, send it over. If it's not relevant, we'll let you know.
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NOBODY ASKED, BUT WHEN SENDING CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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||
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It helps to send stuff *prior* to the conference rather than a day or
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before it's to occur. Two-three weeks or more should be the minimum.
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------------------------------
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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 15:16:56 JST
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From: "Robert J. Woodhead" <trebor@FORETUNE.CO.JP>
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Subject: File 2--Re: Piracy/Social Context (#4.42)
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With regards the following article, I have some comments.
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>Date--Tue, 1 Sep 1992 10:22:44 -0700
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>From--James I. Davis <jdav@WELL.SF.CA.US>
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>Subject--Software Piracy--The Social Context
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In CUD 4.42, James I. Davis argues that property rights in information
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are a bad idea. I would like to argue the opposite.
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First of all, I believe we can take it as a given that information has
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value. Ask any stockbroker, bookie or 5-star General if you don't
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believe me. Whenever commodities of value exist, so does the
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possibility of trade; buying and selling. In a free-market economy,
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prices are set based on supply and demand, with sellers attempting to
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maximize the equation of (# of copies sold)*(profit per copy).
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The fundamental difference between the sale of information and the
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sale of breakfast cereal (or any other physical commodity) is that
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when information is sold, nothing physical is transferred. Once you
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have a bit of information, you can sell it zillions of times, and
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what's more, anyone you sell it to can do likewise, if they were so
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inclined.
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Wherein lies the problem - if everyone can sell every bit of
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information they buy from another, the value of information, and thus
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the incentive to create it, plummets. Which is why it is only very
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rarely that information is actually sold - what you buy is the right
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to USE the information for your own benefit.
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Information industries have always been with us - book publication for
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example. There have been many analogies made between book and
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soft-ware publishers, but there is a fundamental difference; whereas
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it costs more to Xerox a book than to buy an original, the digital
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nature of software reverses the relationship. Why buy an original
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when you can get an identical copy much cheaper?
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My answer to the above is that when you make a copy, you are stealing
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from two groups of people : the people who create and distribute the
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software, and the people who legitimately buy it. In the first case,
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you are showing a lack of respect for the creative efforts of other
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people; in the second, you are forcing the legitimate customers to
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shoulder a larger share of the development expenses than they would
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otherwise have to. Mr. Davis totally misunderstands this
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relation-ship, as he demonstrates in his final paragraphs where he
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attempts to show that even with "24 billion" in piracy the software
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industry is still profitable. Most of that 24 billion came out of the
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pockets of legitimate users.
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Mr. Davis also misunderstands the meaning of the "Fair Use Doctrine,"
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which applies to how information that has legally been acquired may be
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redisseminated. FUD has little or nothing to do with the concept of
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software piracy. What FUD does say is what the purchaser or recipient
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of information (eg: a computer game or a TV program) can do with the
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information - for example, it says you can make as many backup copies
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as you want, but not give them away.
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He then goes on to state that the enforcement of property rights in
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information would require a police state. Nonsense. What it requires
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is the proper application of contract law, something we have hundreds
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of years experience with. When you buy the right to use some
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infor-mation, you agree to abide by the restrictions placed upon you
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by the seller. If you don't like the restrictions, don't buy. If you
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decide to say "Screw You!" to the seller and steal it, expect to get
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censured it.
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He further argues that enforcing property rights impedes the proper
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dissemination of the storehouse of knowledge. I would argue the
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opposite. By placing value on particular types of information, such
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property rights guide the employment of human ingenuity in the
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direction of providing the most valuable and needed information, and
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the rewards given to those who create, or who have the wisdom to cause
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to be created, the most valuable information, encourage others. He
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bemoans the problems of schools and software, yet in fact the major
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reason why tons of wonderful software isn't available cheaply is due
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to the fact that schools are notorious for buying 1 copy for the
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entire school system (I speak from personal experience here). Very
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few companies specialize in educational software for schools for this
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reason. And his textbook example (sorry) is specious because it has
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nothing to do with software and everything to do with the cost of
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printing books.
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Lastly, Mr. Davis, after arguing that property rights = police state,
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advocates that we entrust to the government the duty of deciding who
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is to be paid for creating what information. Anyone who has actually
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seen how much time and money is wasted due to infighting about grants
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from the NSF would never make such a suggestion. He also brings up
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the red herring of "it isn't the creators who get the money, but the
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entrepreneurs." Hell, they risked the money to pay the creators, they
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deserve the rewards. Having been on all sides of the equation, I can
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tell you, in general everyone gets what they deserve. If a creator is
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truly that, and not just a hack programmer who can code a module, he
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can negotiate a % of the profits - just like in the movies. (except
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computer firms usually aren't as sneaky accounting-wise)
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Finally, he argues that property rights aren't needed to ensure
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software production. My answer is, yes and no. While many people
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create for the heck of it (me included), the fact is, there needs to
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be a way for people to protect the fruits of their labors if they
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choose to protect them. If the GNU approach is better than
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Micro-softs, then the marketplace will decide. The fundamental
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difference between myself and Mr. Davis (and the GNU folks) is that
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they feel that the government should make everyone do things the way
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they want, and I think that contract law and private agreements are
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all that are needed.
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I'll quote his last paragraph:
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>(4) But but but, how will software get written, who will finance it?
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>Knowledge is a _social_ treasury, and should be funded socially.
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>Public competitions, grants, a social fund supported by users,
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>whatever. We >have som>e models already: the university and federal
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>research model; the arts funding model; the GNU experiment; the
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>freeware and public domain experience. We're a creative and energetic
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>group -- we can figure it out.
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Welfare for Hackers. What a wonderful idea. (heavy sarcasm) Any
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hacker worthy of the name would spurn it.
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------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 09:14:49 EDT
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From: morgan@ENGR.UKY.EDU(Wes Morgan)
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Subject: File 3--Re: Piracy/Social Context (#4.42)
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>From-- James I. Davis <jdav@WELL.SF.CA.US>
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>Subject-- Software Piracy--The Social Context
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>
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>Anne Branscomb, a strong advocate of property rights in information --
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>admits that there is nothing "natural" about property rights (see her
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>essay "Property Rights in Information"). Property rights are social
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>conventions that are struggled over. And we shouldn't give up that
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>fight to the SPA.
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I disagree with several arguments used against said rights.
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>Re: software "piracy" in schools, perhaps we should see an extension
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>of "Fair Use Doctrine" to software use in schools. A bit of recent
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>history -- broadcast TV shows were not intended to be copied and
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>viewed at leisure at home. But to have stuck to that point, the courts
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>would have criminalized a substantial number of adults who were
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>time-shifting with their VCRs to watch soaps or football games or
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>whatever.
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Whoa! That wasn't the deciding factor at ALL! The decision was based
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on the notion of "personal use". As I understand it, the courts decided
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that individuals could record programs for later viewing. The court af-
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firmed the copyright of the broadcasters when they disallowed rescreening
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and/or rebroadcasting for profit. Even though you can tape "Days of Our Lives"
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for yourself, you CANNOT charge people to view, nor can you rebroadcast the
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program on your local Public Access channel.
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What's the difference between taping/rebroadcasting a TV show and
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copying/redistributing software? In each case, the initial step
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(taping or copying, respectively) is legal FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY;
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the second step (rebroadcasting/redistributing) is a violation of
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copyright.
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You'll notice that most software licenses allow you to make a backup
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copy FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.
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>So "fair use", originally intended to allow book reviewers
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>to quote from works, was de jure extended to a de facto reality --
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>people "stole" TV shows, and enjoyed them. I understand that fair use
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>extends to school use as well.
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Here's a relevant quote:
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"Section 107 of the Copyright Act establishes four basic factors to be
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examined in determining whether a use constitutes a "fair use" under
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the copyright law. These factors are:
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a) The purpose and character of the use, including whether
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such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit
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educational use;
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b) The nature of the copyrighted work;
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c) The amount and substantiality of the portion of the work used
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in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
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d) The effect of the use in question upon the potential market for
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or value of the copyrighted work.
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No one factor is determinative of a person's right to use a copyrighted
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work without permission. (EDUCATIONAL USE ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO
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MAKE A USE IN QUESTION A FAIR ONE.)"
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[Source: "Questions and Answers on Copyright for the Campus Community", the
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Association of American Publishers and the National Association of College
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Stores, Inc., 1991]
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We may agree that copying software meets criterion (a); the others are
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more difficult to justify. The crux of this particular problem lies in
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criterion (d). Copying software DEFINITELY affects the "potential market"
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for that software; if I can copy it, I don't have to buy it!
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>Why don't people just see that loaning disks, copying programs, etc.
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>is wrong? Because it's not obvious, and it certainly isn't "naturally"
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>wrong.
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I disagree. I find it painfully obvious that I should not take someone
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else's property and redistribute it injudiciously.
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>The SPA has to cultivate a mindset that isn't there.
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Most of the license agreements I've read are explicit "right to use" licenses,
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as opposed to a "transfer of ownership". If you purchase a copy of the
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software, you agree to abide by the terms of the agreement. You can argue
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the propriety of that agreement until you're blue in the face, but you still
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have a legal obligation to abide by its terms.
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The same notion applies to the terms of an apartment lease, a car rental con-
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tract, or the deed to one's home. Each of these contract contains several
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clauses which bind the parties to certain limitations.
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>You give
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>me knowledge, you still have use of it; now I can use it too.
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Computer software is not "knowledge".
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I can certainly share knowledge with you; I can teach you everything there
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is to know about Quattro Pro, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Windows. However,
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"sharing knowledge" does not include giving you something (the software it-
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self) for which I do not possess redistribution rights.
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>It's not like I stole your silverware or pinched your car. A
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>rather noble attribute, sharing, is turned into a crime!
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Sharing, while noble, only applies to those things which are yours.
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As I mentioned earlier, the computer software you purchase is not
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usually your property.
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Would you make a copy of Webster's Dictionary and give it to a friend?
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I don't believe that you would; most people would intuitively classify
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such copying as "wrong". The 'intangible' nature of computer software
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(some say "It's just bits on a floppy disk") does not negate this "common
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sense" approach.
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>And we are
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>all to be enlisted in this SPA scheme for policing property rights of
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>software companies. No thanks.
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Gee, why don't you just Xerox (tm) your entire printed library for me?
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I guess that would be just fine, right?
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>Property rights and information just don't go together:
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If we accept this notion, why do we have patents? After all, patented works
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are just a tangible expression of a particular piece of knowledge. Copy-
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righted works are a tangible expression of another kind; why should they be
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treated differently?
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>(1) The enforcement of property rights in information requires a
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>police state. The SPA encourages people to squeal on each other by
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>calling an 800 number.
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So? Most major companies have a "graft and corruption" number.
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Many government agencies (IRS, BATF) have similar facilities. Even
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local governments get into the act; do you have "CrimeStoppers" broad-
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casts on your local TV stations?
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>If the laws were enforced, I would bet that
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>_most_ computer users would be guilty.
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So? This is starting to sound like "everybody does it, so it must be
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allowed"......and that's a load of poppycock.
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>Hence, the population is
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>criminalized, and subject to police and court control.
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It has been estimated that over 70% of US taxpayers attempt to mislead
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the IRS on their yearly tax returns. [Source: US News and World Report]
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The IRS cannot audit every return, but they usually detect (and punish)
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the worst offenders. Does that "incomplete enforcement" somehow justify
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the illegal actions of the unpunished offenders? Hardly.
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The SPA (or the Copyright Office, or whoever) will never have the resources
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to police *everyone*. I suspect that the 'software police' will eventually
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follow the same principle as the IRS -- get the worst offenders. In fact,
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SPA's current actions reflect this trend. They (the SPA) aren't going after
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Joe Shmo and his Commodore 64; they're targeting the big corporations and
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universities.
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>Just because
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>the laws aren't enforced in totality doesn't mean that they can't be
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>used.
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Are you trying to create a distinction between "a bootleg copy of Turbo C
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on my son's PC" and "copying Turbo C for everyone in my office"? I don't
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believe that you can make this work; in each case, the action is improper.
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The fact that "my office" is more likely to be caught/punished than my son
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is irrelevant; both cases are improper.
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>(2) Enforcing property rights in information prevents the "storehouse
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>of knowledge" from being used optimally.
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I do not accept the equivalence of computer software and information,
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but I'll address a few of these points anyway.......
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>Hence society and civilization is held back.
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With the growing number of "public access" computing sites, this may very
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well become a moot point. Many high school computer facilities have "public
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hours" for their community(ies); many public libraries are establishing com-
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puter facilities for their patrons. I fail to see how "I can't get a free
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copy of Lotus" impedes the progress of civilization.
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>The lost productivity due to conflicting
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>standards and interfaces required because of proprietary interfaces
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>etc. is one example.
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This is true; however, are you going to force each and every
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company/school/person to adhere to some particular "nonproprietary"
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interface? If so, how do you hope to accomplish it?
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>The lost educational opportunities resulting from
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>schools not getting the software they need in the quantities they need
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>is another.
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I agree that this is a real problem. However, many software companies
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are now discounting bulk licenses for schools. Inexpensive "student
|
||
versions" are available for many popular software packages, such as
|
||
WordPerfect, Maple, and MATLAB.
|
||
|
||
>The lost time of researchers who must duplicate research
|
||
>because they are prevented from sharing information because of trade
|
||
>secrecy or international competition is another.
|
||
|
||
Please explain how "globally free" software would affect this situation.
|
||
|
||
>The unavailability of
|
||
>textbooks in poor countries because they cost as much as a month's
|
||
>wages (or software that costs as much as a year's wages) is another .
|
||
|
||
Several publishing houses in the Third World pirate textbooks; since
|
||
their countries are not signatories to the Berne Convention, the original
|
||
publishers cannot recover their losses.
|
||
|
||
>(3) Property rights in information aren't needed to ensure software
|
||
>production, creativity, advancement of society, etc. The freeware and
|
||
>public domain library testify to this. People create for many reasons,
|
||
>of which financial gain is only one, and I would argue, not the most
|
||
>important.
|
||
|
||
People may create for many reasons, but *companies* create for financial gain.
|
||
|
||
>Finally, is the software
|
||
>industry profitable today? Yes.
|
||
|
||
It is profitable AT THIS TIME. Will it continue to be profitable in
|
||
a society where piracy is allowed on any scale? I doubt it.
|
||
|
||
>Even with the $24 billion in "piracy".
|
||
>How can this be so? Because what the software companies "lose" is
|
||
>revenue with no associated cost (the "pirate" has done the labor, and
|
||
>presumably provided the equipment and disk). This is the difference
|
||
>between stealing cars and duplicating software.
|
||
|
||
That's incorrect.
|
||
|
||
If I steal your car, you (or your insurance company) will have to pur-
|
||
chase a new one. Honda (or GM, or whoever) has now given out TWO cars,
|
||
but they have recognized a profit on each one.
|
||
|
||
If I steal a copy of Lotus 1-2-3 (remember, you DO NOT OWN your copy;
|
||
you merely have a license to use it), I do not have to pay Lotus. You
|
||
don't have to pay for another copy; you still have your original. Lotus
|
||
has now (effectively) given out TWO copies, but they have only recognized
|
||
the profit from one copy.
|
||
|
||
That sounds like a loss to me........
|
||
|
||
>(4) But but but, how will software get written, who will finance it?
|
||
>Knowledge is a _social_ treasury, and should be funded socially.
|
||
>Public competitions, grants, a social fund supported by users,
|
||
>whatever. We have some models already: the university and federal
|
||
>research model; the arts funding model; the GNU experiment; the
|
||
>freeware and public domain experience. We're a creative and energetic
|
||
>group -- we can figure it out.
|
||
|
||
There's one topic which hasn't been addressed in this article; I rarely
|
||
see it addressed in any article on this particular subject.
|
||
|
||
The whole concept of copyrights (and patents) is based on the notion that
|
||
the creator of a commercial product is entitled to some compensation for
|
||
their effort. With patents, this compensation is realized through an
|
||
exclusive production license for a certain number of years; with copy-
|
||
rights, this compensation is realized through a similar exclusive license.
|
||
(I believe that a personal copyright extends through the life of the owner,
|
||
plus a certain extension after the owner's death.)
|
||
|
||
By your arguments, I would not realize any significant compensation at all
|
||
for the software I develop. In your society, I would just toss my product i
|
||
into the population, and we'd all live happily ever after. That doesn't work,
|
||
and it isn't right! If I pour 4 years of my life into the development of
|
||
SnarkleFlex, I DESERVE to profit from it (assuming that people want to
|
||
purchase/use it).
|
||
|
||
We could certainly argue that software should be PATENTED. If software
|
||
were patented (instead of copyrighted), both sides could be served equally:
|
||
|
||
- The creator (or creating firm) would receive an exclusive
|
||
license for the initial production of the product (software).
|
||
This would ensure that the creator(s) received compensation
|
||
for their efforts.
|
||
|
||
- After a certain period of time (10 years? 20?), the product
|
||
would lapse into the public domain; it could then be redis-
|
||
tributed freely.
|
||
|
||
As an alternative, previous versions of a particular package could lapse
|
||
into the public domain upon the release of a newer version. For instance,
|
||
SnarkleFlex 1.0 would become PD upon the release of SnarkleFlex 2.0. If
|
||
I've done a good job on SnarkleFlex 2.0, people will prefer it to version
|
||
1.0; they'll buy the new version, I'll realize my profit, and other people
|
||
can treat version 1.0 as PD. In fact, casting SnarkleFlex 1.0 into the
|
||
public domain may actually CREATE new customers for version 2.0; after
|
||
using the old version, they may decide to buy the new version!
|
||
|
||
(Of course, I could also save money by dropping support for any versions
|
||
that pass into PD status. Many companies drop support for older versions
|
||
on a regular basis; for example, I don't think you can get support for
|
||
SuperCalc 3 at this time)
|
||
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:00:00 EDT
|
||
From: Jeff Johnson <jjohnson@HPLJAJ.HPL.HP.COM>
|
||
Subject: File 4--PD-related IFAC symposium, 9/23, Madison
|
||
|
||
-+++++- Forwarded Message
|
||
|
||
Date--Fri, 28 Feb 92 15:00:51 PST
|
||
From--mad@mambo.Stanford.EDU (Marcia A. Derr)
|
||
Subject--PD-related IFAC symposium
|
||
|
||
The International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) is holding
|
||
symposium on Automated Systems Based on Human Skill (and
|
||
Intelligence), September 23-25, 1992 in Madison, Wisconsin. According
|
||
to the symposium announcement, %%the objective of the symposium is to
|
||
bring together engineers, system designers, and end users, to bring
|
||
about a closer integration between users, who often possess specific
|
||
skills and designers who often seek designs to replace rather than
|
||
enhance skills.''
|
||
|
||
The symposium will address such topics as
|
||
|
||
- aspects of skill-based manufacturing,
|
||
- human work design criteria,
|
||
- design of better systems,
|
||
- valuation of alternative work structures and organizations, and
|
||
- participation of people involved.
|
||
|
||
For more information, contact
|
||
Prof. Frank Emspak
|
||
School for Workers
|
||
UWEX
|
||
610 Langdon Street
|
||
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
|
||
USA
|
||
Phone: 608-262-2111
|
||
FAX: 608-265-2391
|
||
|
||
------- End of Forwarded Message
|
||
(Contributor Note:: There is a file on the CPSR archive server called
|
||
IFAC CALL4PAP which can be retrieved by submitting the command GET
|
||
IFAC CALL4PAP to the address LISTSERV@GWUVM.GWU.EDU, in the text of
|
||
electronic mail. -peh)
|
||
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 13:47:52 EDT
|
||
From: Rita Marie Rouvalis <rita@EFF.ORG>
|
||
Subject: File 5--Cliff Figallo Online (From EFFector Online, # 3.04)
|
||
|
||
FIGALLO ONLINE AT EFF.ORG
|
||
|
||
Cliff Figallo became the new director of EFF-Cambridge at the
|
||
beginning of the month. Former director of The Whole Earth 'Lectronic
|
||
Link (the EFF's birthplace), Fig is charged with developing and
|
||
coordinating the Cambridge office's outreach activities, increasing
|
||
active EFF membership, and expanding overall awareness of the EFF's
|
||
programs in the computer-conferencing community and the world at
|
||
large.
|
||
|
||
Commenting on his new task, Figallo said, "EFF came upon the online
|
||
scene a couple years ago with a big splash. I'd like for us to
|
||
continue splashing. EFF is uniquely engaged in many useful and
|
||
important activities in the areas of online civil liberties, sane
|
||
lawmaking and advocacy of improved electronic highways for the future.
|
||
I want news of these activities to get out to the people for whom we
|
||
are making a difference. I also want us to develop better channels
|
||
for these same people to communicate their wants and needs to those of
|
||
us with access to the legal, informational and technical resources.
|
||
Our purpose is to serve those wants and needs for the betterment of
|
||
the world.
|
||
|
||
"More specifically, I will encourage people to become members of
|
||
EFF by demonstrating to them the value of a membership. One should
|
||
expect noticeable benefits from paying membership dues and I intend to
|
||
make it plain that those benefits exist and will only increase as more
|
||
people become involved in telecommunications. I will also be working
|
||
with regional groups who may be interested in forming local EFF
|
||
chapters so that we can learn together how such affiliations can
|
||
enhance our mutual effectiveness.
|
||
|
||
"I'm excited about working here. I believe in what EFF is all
|
||
about."
|
||
|
||
Cliff can be reached as fig@eff.org.
|
||
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 13:47:52 EDT
|
||
From: Rita Marie Rouvalis <rita@EFF.ORG>
|
||
Subject: File 6--Bill Clinton on Electronic Technology (From EFFector 3.04)
|
||
|
||
STATEMENT OF BILL CLINTON FOR THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL
|
||
AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS (IEEE)
|
||
|
||
Bill Clinton for President Committee * 1317 F Street, NW, Suite 902 *
|
||
Washington DC 20004 Telephone 202-393-3323 FAX 202-393-3329
|
||
e-mail correspondence@dc.Clinton-Gore.org
|
||
|
||
"We face a fundamental economic challenge today: to create a
|
||
high-wage, high-growth national economy that will carry America into
|
||
the 21st century. We need a long-term national strategy to meet this
|
||
challenge and win.
|
||
|
||
"Our productivity and income have been growing so slowly because
|
||
we've stopped investing in the economic infrastructure that binds our
|
||
markets and businesses together, in the education and training
|
||
necessary to give our workers world-class skills, and in the research
|
||
and development that can restore America to the cutting edge of the
|
||
world economy. As a nation, we're spending more on the present and
|
||
the past and building less for the future. We need a President who
|
||
will turn the country around and refocus on the long view. As
|
||
President, I will divide the budget into three parts, creating a
|
||
separate 'future budget' for the federal government to make
|
||
investments that will enrich our country over the long term. Today
|
||
the federal government spends only 9 per cent of the budget on
|
||
investments for the future; a Clinton Administration will double that.
|
||
We will pay for it by diverting resources no longer needed for
|
||
defense, but we will ensure that every dollar we take out of military
|
||
R&D goes into R&D for civilian technologies until civilian R&D can
|
||
match and eventually surpass our Cold War military R&D commitment.
|
||
|
||
"As President, I will create an investment tax credit and a new
|
||
enterprise tax cut that rewards those who invest in new businesses
|
||
that create new jobs. I will also make the research and development
|
||
tax credit permanent.
|
||
|
||
"My administration will create a civilian research and development
|
||
agency to support research in the technologies that scientists have
|
||
already identified as the basis for launching new growth industries
|
||
and revitalizing traditional ones over the next two decades. This
|
||
civilian DARPA will coordinate R&D to help companies develop
|
||
innovative technologies and bring new products to market. And without
|
||
inhibiting the competition that drives innovation, we will encourage
|
||
and promote collaborative efforts among firms and with research
|
||
institutes for commercial development just as we have done with
|
||
defense technologies for 40 years.
|
||
|
||
"A Clinton Administration will create a high-speed rail network
|
||
between out nation's major cities. And in the new economy,
|
||
infrastructure means information as well as transportation. More than
|
||
half the U.S. workforce is employed in information-intensive
|
||
industries, yet we have no national strategy to create a national
|
||
information network. Just as the interstate highway system in the
|
||
1950s spurred two decades of economic growth, we need a door-to-door
|
||
fiber optics system by the year 2015; a link to every home, lab,
|
||
classroom and business in America.
|
||
|
||
"For small defense manufacturers hit by cuts in defense spending,
|
||
the Small Business Administration will provide small conversion loans
|
||
to help finance their transition, and launch a Technology Assistance
|
||
Service -- modeled on the Agricultural Extension Service -- to provide
|
||
easy access to the technical expertise it takes to convert to
|
||
commercial production.
|
||
|
||
"To enjoy the full benefit of these investments, we must do
|
||
everything possible to open up markets now closed to American
|
||
products. My administration will provide the leadership for Japan and
|
||
the European countries to join us in coordinating our macroeconomic
|
||
policies and in reaching multilateral trade negotiations. But we will
|
||
also provide the muscle to open up Japan's markets to competitive U.S.
|
||
products using a stronger and more carefully targeted "Super 301"
|
||
approach. We favor a free and open trading system, but if our
|
||
competitors won't play by those rules, we will play by theirs.
|
||
|
||
"All the investments in the world won't mean much if our workers
|
||
don't have the education or the skills to take advantage of the
|
||
opportunities they create. My administration will fully fund Head
|
||
Start, increase funding for Chapter 1, and provide seed money for
|
||
innovative education projects. However, we will also raise standards
|
||
by establishing a national testing system in elementary and secondary
|
||
schools and instituting report cards for ever state, school district,
|
||
and school in the nation, to measure their progress. We will also
|
||
create a nationwide apprenticeship program for those young people who
|
||
choose not to go to college, and a national trust fund for college
|
||
loans for those who do. These loans will be repaid either as a small
|
||
percentage of income over time or with a couple of years of national
|
||
service.
|
||
|
||
"With the strategy I have outlined, we can restore the American
|
||
Dream by enabling every citizen and every business to become more
|
||
productive, and in so doing, restore our nation to the front lines of
|
||
high technology.
|
||
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 18:59:51 CDT
|
||
From: Jim Thomas <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
|
||
Subject: File 7--Call for Cu-Related Papers for MSS
|
||
|
||
Jim Thomas is organizing a session at the Midwest Sociological
|
||
Meetings (April 7-10, '93) on "NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND
|
||
CRIME."
|
||
|
||
The topic is broad, and includes computer deviance (hacking, viruses,
|
||
computer crime, copyright, etc....); Methodological, ethical, legal,
|
||
and other issues related to researching the topic; Law enforcement
|
||
uses of new technology; New definitions and types of crime shaped by
|
||
the "techno-revolution" in computers and telecommunications; and uses
|
||
of technology to commit crimes or avoid detection.
|
||
|
||
Empirical papers from a qualitative perspective are preferred.
|
||
|
||
The deadine for paper titles and short (50-150 word abstract) is
|
||
OCTOBER 15, 1992
|
||
|
||
Send them to: Jim Thomas
|
||
Sociology
|
||
Northern Illinois University
|
||
DeKalb, IL (60115
|
||
(voice: 815-756-3839 ; fax: 815-753-6302)
|
||
|
||
Or: tk0jut1@niu.bitnet / tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu /jthomas@well.sf.ca.us
|
||
|
||
------------------------------
|
||
|
||
End of Computer Underground Digest #4.43
|
||
************************************
|
||
|