Re: when did piracy/theft become expression of freedom

[Mike Hale <eyeronic.design () gmail com>]

What you said doesn't follow.

Making a digital copy isn't burning down a business.  The analogy
linking 'piracy' with theft is ludicrous.

On Sun, Jan 29, 2012 at 11:50 PM, Christian Sciberras <uuf6429 () gmail com> wrote:
> Byron, you don't protest to the government by burning down 100-year-old
> business, if you know what I mean...
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 12:12 AM, Byron L. Sonne <byron.sonne () gmail com>
> wrote:
> > The thing that makes me laugh about all of this, and one of the key
> > things I learned from reading Gibbon's Decline & Fall is this:
> >
> > The number and frequency of laws passed regarding things directly
> > relates to how widespread these things are, and how they much the laws
> > are ignored and ineffective. Laws can't prevent a damn thing, they can
> > only specify remedies. As it is said, "it's only illegal if you get
> > caught".
> >
> > The cat is out of the bag and will never be put back in. There's no way
> > to stop people from 'illegally' copying copyrighted material.
> >
> > If they somehow managed to require and implement tech so that perfect
> > digital copies can't be made (unlikely) then people will simply use a
> > camera to record the video as it plays on the screen. Hey, wait a
> > minute, that sounds just like that screener I downloaded someone taped
> > in Russia! ;)
> >
> > If they manage to require and implement tech so that you can't trade it
> > over the internet (unlikely) then people will simply trade it on private
> > networks or, like we used to do in the old days, via sneakernet.
> >
> > The problem is that in an attempt to control the dissemination of
> > copyrighted material (and people are right, artists do have a right to
> > reap the benefits of their effort) the powers-that-be are stepping over
> > the line and into territory that impacts our ability to communicate in
> > the fashion we choose.
> >
> > It might be fine to try and prevent piracy but in the process of doing
> > so you are trashing the other desires of people that have nothing to do
> > with piracy.
> >
> > I'm sure if the copyright lobby had their way, they'd require us to wear
> > special glasses in order to see our laptop screens, on the assumption
> > that anything not explicitly licensed was assumed to be unlicensed, and
> > thus pirated, which we would be blocked from our field of view... and as
> > a result, some girl/guy who wants to write a simple freeware text editor
> > now has to jump through regulatory hoops and spend money to obtain a
> > special registration that allows their text editor to display to the
> > screen. This is a cheesy example, but I think it makes the point.
> >
> > In the guise of 'protecting artists and businesses' what is happening is
> > that the powers-that-be are requesting (and too often getting) powers
> > that allow them to trample on the general idea of freedom of
> > communications and other things people cherish.
> >
> > As a result, people are inclined to engage in the very behaviours that
> > elicited the laws and crackdowns, quite simply, as a way to raise their
> > middle finger and say "Fuck You".
> >
> > This is when piracy and theft becomes freedom of expression - when it's
> > done in protest.
> >
> > --
> > http://www.freebyron.org
> >
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>
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