As one who works both as an artist and technologist (see
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Studio/1714/), I have a profound
sympathy for both Han-Wen's and Werner's viewpoints.
As a scientist, I operate in Han-Wen's way - my knowledge is released
totally, and I take pride that someone else is able to stand on my
shoulders and extend/improve my work. (But, the world of science does
have effective safeguards against theft and abuse - usually a referee
will know of my prior publication of an idea and the paper will be
rejected; even if this safeguard fails, the printed record is proof
of priority.)
But, as a musician, I like to say that it takes me 50 years and a day
to record a Scarlatti sonata. My recordings are works of art - they
are based on ten thousand factors. (For example, they are played on a
real instrument, where every string is different, not all the same as
in MIDI; I have all the sonatas in my head, not just the one I am
recording ...) However, the only way I can distribute them sensibly
is in a MIDI file, which anyone can modify as they wish with any
sequencer program. There is a creep in the USA who takes my
recordings, screws up the tempi, then reissues them as his own work
and his own copyright. (He even registers those copyrights officially
in the USA.) I can tell you, when he took the Bach piece I recorded
in memory of my recently-deceased daughter-in-law, removed my
memorial text in it, and did that, it hurt - with a capital H. If I
had the resources of a Bill Gates, of course, I could deal with him,
but I don't and never will, so I am helpless.
So, it seems to me that Werner is feeling as the artist, and Han-Wen
(and the GNU GPL) as a technologist. I hope that there is room for
both in Mutopia.
I will be releasing my Scarlatti scores under the GPL, as
technological works, but I want to keep my MIDI recordings as
artistic creations. I hope, Han-Wen, that you will agree that if the
material on a Mutopia site is "free" in that it may be used, copied
and distributed as is with no restriction other than refusal of the
right to restrict further distributing, and is in a form which can be
used by others with gratis software, then it should be acceptable.
And perhaps, Werner, you would agree that nothing on a Mutopia site
should require anything other than totally gratis currently available
software for a user to use...
John
