On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 8:31 PM, donkyhotay <[email protected]> wrote:
> This is an issue with no real clear answer and has very vocal supporters > on both sides. Although on a *nix mailing list (like this one) you are > more likely to get opinions leaning towards 'freedom of knowledge is > good' you have to be careful as it can turn into a political issue. > Personally I am one that feels copyrights should be cut *way* back > (especially when software is involved) but it's a tough fight. There are > organizations that are working to limit coporations' capability to hold > onto copyrights forever. One of the biggest is the Electronic Frontier > Foundation, their website is: www.eff.org > > > > Michael Robinson wrote: > > I recently decided to download a copy of Full Throttle that runs > > on ScummVM from a pirate site. It seems that to get software > > for ScummVM you are pretty much stuck downloading it from pirate > > sites because anything written for Linux would run on Linux > > directly and either a) be open source or b) commercial and > > purchasable. I have a copy of full throttle that is legal > > for dos which doesn't work so well anymore. > > > > I agree with the notion that current copyright law in the U.S. > > is unethical. Any software program that is neither supported > > nor sold should not be locked up by copyright. The purpose > > of copyright is to protect the profitability of writing > > software. The idea is, it gives you a temporary monopoly > > over that piece of software. It seems the temporary is > > lost on some people. > > > > So what is the remedy? Should software go out of copyright > > automatically after 10 years if it isn't sold or supported > > anymore? Should copyrighted software have to be re- > > copyrighted after 10 years for a nominal fee forcing those > > who want to abandon a software program to abandon it > > properly? I like the copyright is 10 years idea. For > > software though, even 10 years may be too long. After > > that there should be a per year charge to keep a program > > copyrighted IMHO. > > > > Maybe emulators throw this argument sideways insofar as > > old software that is popular could be potentially sold > > again with an emulator to make it run on modern hardware. > > Thing is, my idea is to make those who want their software > > to remain under copyright pay for that privilege after it > > has been copyrighted for so many years. > > > > I justify downloading a pirated copy of Full Throttle because > > I have one, but what about old games like Warcraft I that I > > never did buy a copy of? That can be downloaded too from > > many abandonware sites. Heck, even Warcraft II can be > > downloaded which seems wrong considering that I bought a > > copy not too long ago. > > > > I think the way copyright has been traditionally used when it > > comes to software creates a major problem. The old idea of property > > where you own the property forever doesn't make sense when one is > > talking about software. Microsoft has a monopoly. If Windows 95 > > fell into the public domain because it isn't supported or sold by > > Microsoft and it is over 10 years old, would that still remain true? > > How about Windows 3.x, it isn't an OS per se, but shouldn't it be in > > the public domain? Old versions of MS-DOS and Windows are easy to > > get a hold of from abandonware and pirate sites, illegally that is > > without the source. > > > > Shouldn't someone who wants to compete with Microsoft directly either > > via a commercially sold OS or an OSS OS be allowed access to the source > > code of old versions of MS-DOS and Windows? > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > This is a tough one. Companies who develop software for profit have every right to hold on to the copyright but in the digital world what exactly defines copyright, is it the software, the code itself and if it's the code then what is it actually the intellectual property you're trying to protect or the ability to receive payment for the goods. I'm certainly not well versed in copyright/IP/patent issues so which of those should and does cover software and especially as you pointed out what happens when it is no longer maintained or is abandoned. I agree with Donkyhotay in that knowledge should be free but I have no problem with paying for goods/services. Drew- _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
