Hi Zak,
Zak B. Elep wrote:
Yes. However, when you look back, all this talk about piracy, intellectual property and licenses, it becomes all petty, since it somehow prevents us from working to the fullest, and having fun...
Well, think about it this way: if your work and fun is almost entirely reliant on developing applications (proprietary or otherwise), then you might just change your views. See, if say I produced something very useful (I can't think of something yet from the top of my head), and somebody claims it has his own, -- therefore pirates it -- would you think I would feel happy and my concerns would be "petty"?
I'm not for software patents, but I would like to be recognized for the work that I've done. I wouldn't claim as my own somebody else's work, nor would I purposely breach an agreement I willingly agreed to (read the EULA and other licenses). However, some people don't feel the same, and that's when it becomes a problem.
Take a musician who works his behind off just to earn a living by selling his products (musical compositions, etc.) and think how he would feel if he knew that the sale of his products didn't benefit him. It just wouldn't be fair don't you think?
It all really boils down to fairness. You can't blame the big company who has a payroll to take care of and trade "secrets" if they want to protect their products from being sold without them profiting from the sale. And basically, that's the same idea behind the creation of the copyright and the license agreements. In the case of free software, your copyright on the code and product (software) may not be claimed by anyone other than you -- unless you agree to relinquish the rights to your product.
However I look at it though, piracy is just wrong. Is copying a Debian GNU/Linux CD piracy? NO because it specifically says in the license (GNU GPL) that you agree to that you may do so. Now is copying and proliferating/selling an installer of a piece of software piracy? Yes, because it essentially means you are not abiding by the license you agreed to that accompanies the installer -- which is in essence is taking for your own and having your way with something which is not yours. The installer may be yours (media), but the software in it (assuming it is proprietary and there is explicit documentation that come with it regarding the use licensing agreement) is not -- and since the agreement does not allow you to copy and/or sell the product without a prior written legal agreement with the owner(s) of the product, you are in breach of a legal contract.
I'm no lawyer, but that's how I understand it. :D
And that's how it (piracy) will be a problem. -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [email protected] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
