From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: mirian@cosmic.com (Mirian Crzig Lennox) Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 23:56:21 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [TUHS] Ultrix... References: <8D25F244B8274141B5D313CA4823F39C057A2388@red-msg-06.redmond.corp.microsoft.com> Message-ID: On Wed, 4 Sep 2002 20:15:52 -0700, Ian King wrote: >"It is a problem only if you choose to honor copyright laws." I can > only hope that others (dis)regard your property rights, as you > (dis)regard the property rights of others. BTW, where do you live? I > could use a new monitor or two.... It is possible to respect property rights and yet disagree (to the point of disobedience) with how the concept has been lately twisted by monied interests in the United States. The purpose of copyright is not to be a form of property; if it were, copyrights would not expire. The purpose of copyright is to enrich the public domain by encouraging authors to publish their works, by ensuring them exclusive right to profit from their work for a limited time after which time *the work passes into the public domain*. This is plainly stated in the U.S. Constitution as the basis for copyright law: "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." [Article I, section 8]. In fact, the concept of "intellectual property" is a fairly recent perversion, and the consequence has been a steady depletion of the public domain. When a piece of software (and Ultrix is an excellent example) is tied up in copyright long after it is of any value to anyone beyond pure academic interest, nothing is added to anyone's wealth, and society as a whole loses. --Mirian