Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!purdue!decwrl!eda!jim
From: jim@eda.com (Jim Budler)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Message-ID: <401@eda.com>
Date: 18 Dec 88 21:00:16 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us> <2363@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <1334@leah.Albany.Edu> <5769@thorin.cs.unc.edu> <1343@leah.Albany.Edu> <245@taniwha.UUCP>
Reply-To: jim@eda.com (Jim Budler)
Organization: EDA Systems,Inc. Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 32

In article <245@taniwha.UUCP> michael@taniwha.UUCP (Michael Hamel) writes:
| In article <1343@leah.Albany.Edu> jac423@leah.Albany.Edu (Julius A Cisek) writes:
| 
| >Wait a second! So what you're saying is that its okay to pirate stuff if
| >you can't afford to buy it? That's insane! Can I steal your car  because
| >I can't afford one myself?
| 
| Whoa thar! We are talking about copying. This has *nothing* to do with theft.

Wrong! You obviously have little grasp of the concept of property.
Intellectual property *is* property. It has *everything* to do
with theft. You copy a program, you have stolen.

The only difference between stealing a car, and stealing the revenue/profit
the owner of intellectual property was due is the amount.

Would you go into a store and steal a pack of gum? I mean, geez, that's
only 25 cents, hardly important, right. [sarcasm, in case you can't tell].

You copy a $39 game program and you have deprived various people of
their lawful revenue:
	1) The publisher, oh lets say $2
	2) The retailer, uh, give him $2

Now that 25 cent pack of gum someone shoplifted, no one here would deny
that is theft would they? Why are so many here willing to believe an 
act which deprives others of more value than that pack of gum is not theft?


-- 
Jim Budler   address = uucp: ...!{decwrl,uunet}!eda!jim OR domain: jim@eda.com
#define disclaimer	"I do not speak for my employer"