Re:When is an MP3 file like a lighthouse?

From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Thu Oct 25 2001 - 12:34:21 MDT


>From: "Alex F. Bokov" <alexboko@umich.edu>

>>On Thu, 25 Oct 2001, Brian D Williams wrote:

>> So what if it's hard?

>Who's going to pay the absurd costs of enforcement? You and I? Why
>would any rational individual choose to do that? That's what.

Actually the cost of enforcement will undoubtably be passed on to
the consumer.

>How would you go after them?

Drag them into court and sue for copyright infringement amongst
other things.

>You mean, CD-burners, ethernet cards, general purpose computers?
>Pretty much everything except the constitutionally protected
>presses of the dead tree variety?

Since these things have legitimate uses this would be a wasted
effort.

>Filter WHAT? Specific ports? Specific types of protocols? Snoop
>the content ala carnivore? How would you prove beyond the faintest
>possibility of any doubt to me, the voter and consumer you're
>trying to convince, that my "I Hate Disney" website, my manuscript
>for a book about why drugs should be legalized, and my
>pornographic cartoons featuring Jesus will not be snooped,
>censored, investigated, or touched in any way?

What makes you think this doesn't happen now? You don't think the
NSA watches backbone traffic?

Difficult probably, but pass the right law and it's doable.

>You may be among the few individuals who do things motivated by
>right and wrong. Sadly, most others are inspired by maximizing
>their material benefit and minimizing their material cost. Or at
>least that's what they were teaching in economics last time I took
>a class in it.

Thanks for the compliment, life is more than economics.

>> They are trying to protect their material and it's associated
>> revenue stream.

>Of course they are. Just as I as an independent content creator
>and consumer am attempting to break their chokehold on the market.
>Their revenue stream is of no interest to me, just as I'm sure
>mine is of no interest to them.

There is nothing to prevent you from creating material and
distributing it free of charge, but I don't think individuals have
the right to make that decision for other artists.

>Nor does calling downloading of copyrighted material "theft".

Actually being in possession of illegally copied material is
defined in the criminal code as theft.

>No, I haven't, but it's my own fault for not being clear enough.
>I meant the answer to the question "When is an MP3 anything but a
>nonexcludable, nonrival good?"

The only time an MP3 is a nonexcludable nonrival good is when it is
explicitly created of independently created material and as such
the creator forgoes all claim.

In other words like I said you can create your own independent work
and release it for free.

Brian

Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W



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