[Gllug] Uh oh, ministers consider "anti file-sharing laws"

[Alain Williams]

On Thu, Oct 25, 2007 at 01:27:32PM +0100, Richard Jones wrote:

> Thought experiment:
> 
> I'm walking along the road one day when I see a rather elegant vase
> just sitting by the side of the road.  No one else is around, no one
> seems to own this beautiful vase.
> 
> Luckily today I thought to bring along my matter copying machine, so
> quick as a flash I take a physical copy of the vase.  Actually I make
> two copies because perhaps another passer-by would like a copy of the
> vase too.
> 
> I leave the original vase and the copy by the side of the road just
> where I found them, and take my copy with me.  Now I have the
> beautiful vase as the centrepiece of my dinner table.
> 
> Question: did I do anything immoral?

I have often pondered exactly that question.

Copying something unique, you might argue that the artist looses through
lost royalty ... just as if you take a picture of the latest David Hockney
at Tate Modern and make that available for free download.

What happens if you go to Tesco, buy a joint of best beef and use your matter
copyer to make copies for all of your friends to have for Sunday lunch.
You could argue that Tesco/farmers are loosing out ... perhaps.

Now buy your best Aberdeen Angus cow, slaughter it yourself (EU laws permitting)
and duplicate the best joints. Have the farmers got a reasonable complaint
or are they now the loosers in a competitive market ?

-- 
Alain Williams
Linux Consultant - Mail systems, Web sites, Networking, Programmer, IT Lecturer.
+44 (0) 787 668 0256  http://www.phcomp.co.uk/
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