On Thu, 2009-12-24 at 20:35 +0530, jtd wrote: > In the context of users defending their use of pirated software when > superior alternatives are easily available?
Well, I would say that it is not at all about quality of the software. It is a question about morality and legality. Yes, it is definitely illegal. > I fully understand my statement and reiterate that it is plain old > robbery. It is not as if the guy was dying because his iv drip would > stall without the software. I have to say that I don't see how it is "robbery". "Robbery" refers to "the felonious taking of the property of another from his or her person or in his or her immediate presence, against his or her will, by violence or intimidation." I would say that nothing is taken here and there is no violence or intimidation. And actually no one loses what is taken (software), unlike in the case of robbery of material objects. That is why we believe that software is like knowledge and like knowledge it should not be the property of an individual or an institution. > > I would consider copyright violation less of an problem than > > refusing to share with friends. > > Ya. Especially somebody else's stuff obtained illegally. You and I > dont decide. It's the owner of the copyrighted works who decides. Yes, that is the legal stand. So it is illegal to copy software that does not give users permission to copy. But morally, I agree with Praveen. > On a wider social plane it is the acceptance of individual rights as > paramount over other gangs like state, party, religious groups, > business etc. I would say that the rights of the individual, the society on the whole, political parties, and so on should be balanced for everyone's good. For instance, we are yet to device a form of democratic governance that does away with the party system. However badly managed our political parties are, there is no other way in front of us -- except, of course, going back to the feudal system or into a dictatorship. So, in any country, the rights of all these groups and those of individuals have to be balanced. We cannot exist in a society that accepts the present form of governance by denying any one of them. Regards -- V. Sasi Kumar Free Software Foundation of India http://swatantryam.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
