On Thursday 24 December 2009 21:59:16 V. Sasi Kumar wrote: > 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."
That is a partial definition. Many countries do not require intimidation or threat. Nonetheless theft would be more appropriate. > 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. WE are not the ones who decide about what is not ours. > > > > 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. I am only in partial agreement with the above (but this is slipping into unowat). And the remedial measure is to change the law, including the Ghandian method of demanding the maximum punishment while breaking such a law. Slyly enjoying the benefits (ha ha M$ and benefit) of illegal appropriation is theft. -- Rgds JTD _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
