Mark Derricutt wrote:
>
> On Thu, 21 Dec 2000 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> > So are you saying that it is fine to use whatever you want without
> > have the rights to use it? You're probably a napster user as well...
> > ;-)
>
> Just to be pedantic, there's nothing wrong with running napster, the
> issues RIAAA have with it is the trading of pirate mp3s, personally, I ue
> gnapster, the Gnome/Linux port, its GPL, and I'm not breaking any laws in
> running it, now, the downloaded songs.... another thing entirely.
This is a very interesting topic. Napster (and other similar tools) are not
in and of themselves illegal - they don't directly breach copyrights, etc.
They are, however, undeniably used primarily for trading illegal copies of
songs in MP3 format. Should they then be regulated out of existence because
they are used for illegal things? Or allowed to continue because they are
not illegal in and of themselves? And if you're all for getting rid of
Napster then how about other tools which are perfectly legal but might be
put to illegal use? Hex editors, debuggers, email... where do you stop?
It's interesting that the Americans - a country in which a large number of
people support the right to bear arms because (as they old saying goes)
"guns don't kill people, PEOPLE kill people" - are so ready to suppress
something like Napster.
In today's environment though it's nearly impossible to eradicate things
like Napster. I could probably create a replacement for Napster in a week,
distribute source code to half the world in another couple of days etc. And
there are a lot of programmers out there who can do the same. Is this a bad
thing?
--
Corey Murtagh
The Electric Monk
"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur!"
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