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Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
(Huh... to me, that's like saying it's not illegal to loot something from a broken storefront display... it's only illegal to break the window...)
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It may be recognition of reality.
It's a bit like drug traffic: the cops want to bust the
dealer. Busting the user is normally more trouble than it's worth.
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This is why I really think there needs to be a set of international agreements and understandings on what, exactly, a digital work is considered, and how it should be considered under international law. Without that, I don't see how we're ever going to work out these differences and issues, which threaten to undermine any hope for a workable international digital market.
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That will happen, but it will be a complex process having far more to do with politics than technology.
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Failing that, the only other solution I see is for countries to erect digital "borders" which allow them to block specific countries from commerce. And I don't think many people want that.
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That exists now, witness mainland China's attempts to block access to various resources elsewhere critical of the Chinese government, or the various Islamic countries imposing proxy servers at the ISP level that block access to various things considered prohibited by Islam. (Surfing for porn in a place like Saudi Arabia is a
very risky thing to do.)
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Dennis