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All the Perl that's Practical to Extract and Report

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Brainwashing 6 Comments More | Login | Reply /

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  • How about we rephrase it as "If you avoid paying for it, you've stolen it?" Maybe "If you don't pay for it, and you use it, and the author wants you to pay for it, you've stolen it?"
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    xoa

    • I think "If you don't pay for it and you use it and it's not covered by fair use and the author wants you to pay for it, then you've deprived them of a possible royalty" is catchier.
      • Why make it so complicated? It's really pretty simple.

        The author/artist put out some material. The publishing company published it for them. Both of those entities want you to pay for it. Now, assuming it's not fair use, why should you, as a third party, be able to decide "I choose not to pay for this? I choose not to respect the wishes of the artist & publisher?"

        If someone violates the GPL, we're up in arms about it. Why? It violates what the author of the GPL-covered item wanted. Why is this

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        xoa

        • Why make it so complicated? It's really pretty simple.

          I was objecting to your use of stole. I think it's wrong to deprive people of money they deserve. I also think it's wrong to call it stealing. If you choose to download an artist's work you haven't stolen from them, you've deprived them of potential income.

          • "Depriving them of potential income" isn't theft? What if I go and get your paycheck out of your mailbox before you get to it?

            How about this? How about if we say "Using the materials in a way that the author specifically doesn't want is an asshole thing to do?"

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            xoa

            • The "depriving" argument is inspecific; that's a big problem with most of these arguments.

              If you pick up one of my books in the bookstore, read the back cover, and decide not to buy it, are you "depriving [me] of potential income"? I think so, but you're not stealing or infringing my copyright.

              The second is a lot better -- but even though I disclaim responsibility and specifically allow all sorts of uses of Free Software that I write and distribute, I'd still prefer people not use it to do things I consider icky or wrong. (I know that wasn't what you meant though.)

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