Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghitulescu
If asked 
Ignorance does not help before the court. All laws are published (before they have been announced with a drummer ) and it's the duty of a citizen to know the laws, anyway. |
But since we know ignorance is not a defense, shouldn't the potential buyer at, say, a garage sale, require the seller to prove or swear that the bin of LPs and VHS tapes have not been digitized and no copies live on the seller's computer? How come that garage sale buyer can blithely assume the seller hasn't infringed copyright by keeping a copy? But if a person downloads something from the Web, he or she is supposed to inquire as to copyright status, rights holders, etc.?
Ethically, why shouldn't the buyer have the same responsibility in both instances? Why should a buyer assume a greater responsibility when the format is digital?