Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
Yes but not individual moral compasses the moral compass of doing what is right within society, not as an individual, that is what the point of intellectual property law (and it's basis) is about.
|
You said that you don't give a huff about the law, but care about what is right. But now, it seems that what is right is what is codified in law? Shome mistake, surely?
There is no single moral compass for society, even if there is a broad consensus on some issues such as murder being bad, for example. As I said, my view of the consensus on making copies for personal use is that it is not seen as a terrible thing - a bit naughty at worst. Theft, on the other hand, is seen in a completely different light.
Just look at the market for copying vinyl onto cassette. You could buy twin deck machines designed for copying on every high street - most hifi aimed at the mass market had twin cassettes as standard. Blank tapes were sold everywhere - often in blocks of 5 etc.
My point is that it was accepted as normal, even expected, that people would copy music and swap albums etc., and this was actively encouraged by making it easy to purchase the means to do so. So, I would claim that the social consensus was that such copying was not a terrible thing. This is completely different to the consensus on physical theft.
You can't have it all ways. Either it's a matter of the law, or it's a social consensus, or it's a personal issue. If it's "what is right within society", I'd contend that copying is largely socially acceptable.