Re: [LAU] ASCAP Assails Free-Culture, Digital-Rights Groups

On 06/30/2010 11:31 PM, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 9:23 AM, Louigi Verona<louigi.verona@email-addr-hidden> wrote:
>
>> Hello Dave!
>>
>> Your argument seems very-very convincing. But is it really?
>>
>> "Yeh, yeh, yeh, artists made art before copyright. What they didn't make was
>> as much money as they now stand to make because of it."
>>
>> So why not make up a law that, for instance, that allows bus drivers to make
>> more money? Like, make using your car illegal. And if you are a bus driver,
>> you would also say - "if you'd own a bus, you'd support that law, since
>> before I did not get that much money, now I have great income". So what? Do
>> bus drivers need more money? Do musicians need more money? Why? Why only
>> musicians then? Why not teachers? Why not make up a law to increase income
>> of washing ladies by making washing machines illegal?
>>
> for the same precise reason that "copying is not theft"
>
> any single one of the measures you've cited removes the ability of the
> socially-agreed upon owner of an object, or holder of a job, to use
> what they "own" as they see fit (the teacher angle is a bit of a wierd
> case in your argument, but it doesn't break entirely).
>
> however, in the case of a creative work, the work's life begins at
> some point (or period) in time when its creator decides that s/he
> wants others to see/hear/touch/smell it. it doesn't take anything away
> from anyone to say *at that point* in time "the creator decides who
> can make a copy of this".
>
> making cars illegal to help bus drivers hurts car owners. making
> washing machines illegal to help washing ladies hurts owners of
> washing machines. placing limits on the ability to copy someone else's
> work hurts no-one if those limits are sensible.
>

It does hurt freedom and in turn everyones freedom to copy.

Freedom is not a partial concept. You either live with it or without it.

-- 
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd
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