Text 6054, 68 rader
Skriven 2005-03-03 21:20:40 av Matt Bedynek (1:106/1)
   Kommentar till text 6047 av Björn Felten (2:203/2)
Ärende: Felten's copyright violations.
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Hello Björn.

04 Mar 05 03:32, you wrote to me:

 BF> So I guess it's for me to know and for you to find out? :)

 MB>> morally ethical

 BF>    I'd be more than happy to take the moral/ethics debate with anyone.
 BF> But then we must first establish a few facts:

 BF>    a) To whom do you think I have a moral obligation?

 BF>    b) Will we be debating this issue using globally accepted views on
 BF> copyrighting, or are we going to pursue the notion that "the US way is
 BF> the only way"?

Instead of trying to debate whose laws apply where, why not simply try to
respect the laws of the other culture when dealing with them.  What I mean to
say is that if I deal with material that originates from your country then I
will do my best to respect your laws.  When you deal with something that
originates from mine, e.g. software, music, etc. you respect our laws; then,
everyone is happy and does not feel cheated or disrepected.  Whether or not you
see that as having anything to do with morals it is the courteous thing to do.
If I cannot respect your laws then I should not be using something that is
protected under your laws.  Sure, I can do whatever I want and I guess if I can
see no wrong it is "okay" but that is how anyone who breaks the law feels. They
may feel bad about it at first but they will find a way to justify.  Note: I am
not saying you broke any law.  As I was trying to explain to Drummond, you
likely already know whether or not you stand on shakey ground.  You do not need
me or anyone else to tell you whether you have wronged.  At that point, it
becomes a question of whether you have justified and accept what you have done.

 BF>    Before you dismiss those questions, remember that there is a *huge*
 BF> difference in how copyright laws are used in the US as opposed to
 BF> (most of) the rest of the world. In the US it's almost entirely about
 BF> protecting some exploiter's right to the dollar, in (most of) the rest
 BF> of the world it's simply just about protecting the right of the
 BF> artists being given the proper credit to their work.

Laws are convenient ways to protect oneself.  I am asking you to look above
laws and ask yourself whether you think it is the right thing to do.  If you
say "yes" then the discussion is over; you have let us know your state of mind.
At that point, it is up to someone here to determine whether they care enough
to refer the case to the authorities and for the authorities to determine
whether there is enough case and loss of dollar to warrant the effort.  All
this bitching inbetween means nothing and is an example of people looking for
an excuse to hit the 'reply' to fill up unused time in their day, like David.

 BF>    The vast majority (probably in the 99% range or more) of artists,
 BF> all over the world, never makes it to the big bucks anyway. In music
 BF> it's usually because they don't look good enough and/or are not
 BF> prepared to show enough naked skin to the world. So the only way for
 BF> all those independent artists, to reach a big audience, is nowadays to
 BF> have their works freely available on the internet.

If (local) laws are all that matter then perhaps a country can create laws that
allow it to engage in piracy against other nations.  Then, if local laws are
all that there there is nothing you can do and no moral arguement you can make
because "its what the books say are acceptable".  Remember, laws are for people
who operate on the pre-conventional level.  :-)

Matt

e-mail: matt [at] thunderdome.us | icq: 16568532 | yahoo: mbedynek

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