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MrBlueSky · 02-02-2010, 07:14 PM

To answer Schex86 (post 240), Far be it for me to “advocating theft” or anything else. I’m just telling it like it is from the perspective of a user. There is indeed a cultural revolution going on, and there is now at least two full generations that have grown up with the clarion call of Information Wants To Be Free” ringing in their ears. There’s no going back now. The copyright cartel is a busted flush and they can’t put the genie back in the bottle no matter how hard they try.

If you want to talk about theft, as I said in my initial post to the hypothetical Mr. Author, give me back my public domain that you have (already) stolen from me and then we’ll talk deals, social bargains, royalty payments or whatever else takes your fancy. Until then Mr. Author, don’t bother me with your whining because technology has upset your cozy little way of life.

File-sharing sites are nothing more — or less — than the aggregation of a big big library to be used for conveniently checking out books to read. How Mr. Author can object to that so vehemently I do not know. Do they not WANT their books to be read?

If you go to a physical library, you check out a book, read it and take it back. If you go to a digital library, you download a book, read it and then delete it. Why is the first action regarded as acceptable and the second akin to the murder of a first-born? Somebody far cleverer than me will have to explain that moral and ethical conundrum! Is it morally wrong to hike on down to the local library and check out a dozen books at a time? Is it ethically correct to file-share a single copy under any circumstances?

Meanwhile, I live in the real world and I haven’t got the time (or the patience) to explain the nuances of why copyright infringement is a civil offence and not a criminal one. Hint, there is a very very good reason why the police cannot arrest anyone for copyright infringement — IT'S NO A CRIME. They CAN arrest someone for stealing — that IS a criminal offence. Spot the difference boys and girls?

And to answer Steve Jordan (post 241), when I said that file- sharing easy, I was simply stating a fact — not making a justification for it. With file-sharing there is no need to worry about registering your device, no need to worry if the activation server is working or not, not need to worry if you book will simply ‘disappear’, no need to worry if your device breaks. If a file is not perfectly proofed, well, make your own changes.

I did give a justification for file-sharing — that of repatriation. It is my opinion that no rational minded person can defend the current life + 70 copyright rule, nor can they keep making excuses for the ever increasing attempts by the entrenched monopoly hoarders to keep on extending that length to infinity - 1 day. I see file-sharing simply as a correction mechanism to the blatant land grab that has been going on by the cartels.

I too am not impressed by greed and selfishness — and its particularly reprehensible when practiced by the robber baron cartels against the common man, don’t you agree?

And yes, I DO use file-sharing.

I use it for the choice (over 500,000 books). I use it because you can’t get some digital copies anywhere else. I use it because you can’t get the physical copies anywhere else. I use it for format shifting. I use it for my security. I use it as a library. I use it as a try before your buy store (yes, it’s not all black and white — I purchase as much as I share). I use it to discover new material. I use it to re-read old favourites. I use it for education. I use it for fair use.

Most of all, I use it for my OWN convenience — and for not being beholden to the convenience of the monopoly hoarding cartels. Guyanonymous (post 242) summed the it up succinctly enough, its time for the hoarders to find … a new business model that works with reality, not what (they) wish it would be …

And for the record. yes, authors ARE demanding that consumers pay for their works in perpetuity. If a book I buy gets damaged, lost or stolen will Mr. Author give me another one for free? When the books I once read as a child have disintegrated with age due to shoddy materials used, will Mr. Author send me free replacements when I want my children to read the same books? When Mr. Author makes minor changes to a book I’ve already purchased will I be sent a free replacement? Quite. So much for ‘just a one-time payment'.

02-02-2010, 07:14 PM	#305
MrBlueSky Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 400693 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony 600	Piracy is the Antidote not the problem. To answer Schex86 (post 240), Far be it for me to “advocating theft” or anything else. I’m just telling it like it is from the perspective of a user. There is indeed a cultural revolution going on, and there is now at least two full generations that have grown up with the clarion call of Information Wants To Be Free” ringing in their ears. There’s no going back now. The copyright cartel is a busted flush and they can’t put the genie back in the bottle no matter how hard they try. If you want to talk about theft, as I said in my initial post to the hypothetical Mr. Author, give me back my public domain that you have (already) stolen from me and then we’ll talk deals, social bargains, royalty payments or whatever else takes your fancy. Until then Mr. Author, don’t bother me with your whining because technology has upset your cozy little way of life. File-sharing sites are nothing more — or less — than the aggregation of a big big library to be used for conveniently checking out books to read. How Mr. Author can object to that so vehemently I do not know. Do they not WANT their books to be read? If you go to a physical library, you check out a book, read it and take it back. If you go to a digital library, you download a book, read it and then delete it. Why is the first action regarded as acceptable and the second akin to the murder of a first-born? Somebody far cleverer than me will have to explain that moral and ethical conundrum! Is it morally wrong to hike on down to the local library and check out a dozen books at a time? Is it ethically correct to file-share a single copy under any circumstances? Meanwhile, I live in the real world and I haven’t got the time (or the patience) to explain the nuances of why copyright infringement is a civil offence and not a criminal one. Hint, there is a very very good reason why the police cannot arrest anyone for copyright infringement — IT'S NO A CRIME. They CAN arrest someone for stealing — that IS a criminal offence. Spot the difference boys and girls? And to answer Steve Jordan (post 241), when I said that file- sharing easy, I was simply stating a fact — not making a justification for it. With file-sharing there is no need to worry about registering your device, no need to worry if the activation server is working or not, not need to worry if you book will simply ‘disappear’, no need to worry if your device breaks. If a file is not perfectly proofed, well, make your own changes. I did give a justification for file-sharing — that of repatriation. It is my opinion that no rational minded person can defend the current life + 70 copyright rule, nor can they keep making excuses for the ever increasing attempts by the entrenched monopoly hoarders to keep on extending that length to infinity - 1 day. I see file-sharing simply as a correction mechanism to the blatant land grab that has been going on by the cartels. I too am not impressed by greed and selfishness — and its particularly reprehensible when practiced by the robber baron cartels against the common man, don’t you agree? And yes, I DO use file-sharing. I use it for the choice (over 500,000 books). I use it because you can’t get some digital copies anywhere else. I use it because you can’t get the physical copies anywhere else. I use it for format shifting. I use it for my security. I use it as a library. I use it as a try before your buy store (yes, it’s not all black and white — I purchase as much as I share). I use it to discover new material. I use it to re-read old favourites. I use it for education. I use it for fair use. Most of all, I use it for my OWN convenience — and for not being beholden to the convenience of the monopoly hoarding cartels. Guyanonymous (post 242) summed the it up succinctly enough, its time for the hoarders to find … a new business model that works with reality, not what (they) wish it would be … And for the record. yes, authors ARE demanding that consumers pay for their works in perpetuity. If a book I buy gets damaged, lost or stolen will Mr. Author give me another one for free? When the books I once read as a child have disintegrated with age due to shoddy materials used, will Mr. Author send me free replacements when I want my children to read the same books? When Mr. Author makes minor changes to a book I’ve already purchased will I be sent a free replacement? Quite. So much for ‘just a one-time payment'.