Subj : Re: GNU Public Licences Revisited (again)
To   : comp.programming
From : Joe Wright
Date : Sat Sep 17 2005 11:43 am

Chris Sonnack wrote:
> David Golden writes:
> 
> 
>>If beer is taken, less beer remains. Beer number conservation. If
>>a copy of a beer is taken, that's more beer in the world. Beer number
>>nonconservation.
> 
> 
> If I have created the beer and am selling it to feed my family and you
> copy it rather than buy it, you are *stealing* from me.  You are actively
> taking food from my family.
> 
> This all has nothing to do with freedom of information patterns.
> It has to do with stealing an author's work.
> 
Think of it Bill Gates' way. He makes Beer ans sells it for $100. He 
declares the evils of Piracy, promises retribution but provides Beer on 
a CD which anyone can copy, protected by 'Key ID' that anyone can know.

He sells 1000 copies of Beer and gets $100,000. 500 people obtain copies 
of Beer through whatever means. Are they stealing from Bill? I think 
not. Bill has simply gained another 500 users of Beer. It's all about 
market share. Taking business away from the competition. These 500 users 
are not going to buy Ale from IBM or Malt from Sun.

Now that you have them (the 500) as users, they are a market for Beer 
Nuts, etc.

-- 
Joe Wright
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
                     --- Albert Einstein ---

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