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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Re: Copy Protection
Message-ID: <4692@alice.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Dec-85 13:58:13 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4692
Posted: Wed Dec 11 13:58:13 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Dec-85 05:31:09 EST
References: <131300002@ima.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 21

> The only things that will resolve the current copy protection mess is 1) a
> distribution medium that is easy to use, unlikely to fail, and hard to copy,
> and 2) a software market that is large enough and mature enough that authors
> can expect to make a living selling software for $10 to $50.  We may be nearing
> the latter, but the former is nowhere near in sight, unless CD ROMs are an
> unexpected hit.

The only thing that will resolve the current copy protection mess is
a new morality that recognizes the fact that information is (a) valuable,
and (b) capable of being copied EXACTLY.  Present morality regards
theft as evil because it deprives others of property that they rightfully
own.  It is clear that copying something is really a different kind
of action from stealing it, and until we have formed a consistent
philosophical basis for reasoning what to do about such actions, these
problems will persist.

In re-reading this last paragraph, I realize it might look like I am
saying that copying information owned by others should be permitted
in general.  I am not.  I am, however, saying that the existence of
valuable information poses moral problems which we have so far
failed to address clearly.