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Software cannot be stolen (Announce)

posted by lucho, 30.09.2007, 16:36

> Utterly meaningless.
> 1) A copyrighted work is property under law.
> 2) Appropriating a work in violation of the copyright holder's conditions
> is stealing.
Instead of trying to dispute this with you, let's see what the FSF has to say:

----- start of quote -----

?Intellectual property?

Publishers and lawyers like to describe copyright as ?intellectual property??a term that also includes patents, trademarks, and other more obscure areas of law. These laws have so little in common, and differ so much, that it is ill-advised to generalize about them. It is best to talk specifically about ?copyright,? or about ?patents,? or about ?trademarks.?

The term ?intellectual property? carries a hidden assumption?that the way to think about all these disparate issues is based on an analogy with physical objects, and our ideas of physical property.

When it comes to copying, this analogy disregards the crucial difference between material objects and information: information can be copied and shared almost effortlessly, while material objects can't be.

To avoid the bias and confusion of this term, it is best to make a firm decision not to speak or even think in terms of ?intellectual property?.

The hypocrisy of calling these powers ?rights? is starting to make WIPO embarassed.

?Theft?

Copyright apologists often use words like ?stolen? and ?theft? to describe copyright infringement. At the same time, they ask us to treat the legal system as an authority on ethics: if copying is forbidden, it must be wrong.

So it is pertinent to mention that the legal system?at least in the US?rejects the idea that copyright infringement is ?theft.? Copyright apologists are making an appeal to authority ? and misrepresenting what authority says.

The idea that laws decide what is right or wrong is mistaken in general. Laws are, at their best, an attempt to achieve justice; to say that laws define justice or ethical conduct is turning things upside down.

----- end of quotes -----

The above quote is from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

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