Subj : Re: GNU Public Licences Revisited (again) To : comp.programming From : Chris Sonnack Date : Fri Aug 26 2005 02:12 pm David Golden writes: > You demonstrated a marked inability to grasp a simple analogy > about a property law as applied to people compared to a > property law as applied to information. I think the analogy is specious. One can *easily* construct a moral position against treating people as property. One cannot so easily--if at all--construct such an argument for information. The mere fact that you resort to slavery analogies, rather than constructing your argument from first principles, signifies this. > Property is mostly a legal result. But a good one, because without it--if I am stronger than you--I can take anything of yours I want and you have no LEGAL recourse. > If the law were changed to create a tradeable "noseright", where people > were granted artificial tradeable legal monopolies on the right to smell > certain scents by the state, the noserights would act a bit like real > property too, and lots of people would presumably be in jail for > illegally smelling the scent of roses, marmalade, unwashed underarms, > etc., or perhaps because they thoughtlessly carried a sprig of pine > from the tree in their back garden into their sunroom, and negligently > let its scent waft around without the appropriate license from the > holder of the noseright on pine scent for the smelling of the scent of > pine.... > > If you were a noseright holder, you might well scream bloody murder > about the abolition of noseright, but tough titties, noseright is > bloody stupid. This analogy misses the target. You're talking about a form of *access* right here. A better version might be about boating licenses that give you access to certain lakes. Which *isn't* bloody stupid, and which--if legally tradeable--would indeed be a form of property. Writing and selling software isn't about access rights, it's about rightful compensation for your creative efforts. Period. Until you can explain why authors, musicians, architects and authors should also give away the fruits of their labor, your entire position is (IMO, obviously) bogus. -- |_ CJSonnack _____________| How's my programming? | |_ http://www.Sonnack.com/ ___________________| Call: 1-800-DEV-NULL | |_____________________________________________|_______________________| .