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Posted by Bob on 11/05/05 22:19
On Sat, 5 Nov 2005 12:48:12 -0800, "Richard C."
<post-age@spamcop.net> wrote:
>AND in the US courts.
>It is a crime punishable by fine and/or prison.
That is because the pirate infringed on the copyright laws, not
because he stole anything.
The real pirates are those who make copies for resale, not the
individual who listens or watches copyrighted material without paying
full price for it.
Did you know why the film industry encrypted DVDs? It certainly was
not to stop piracy - the encryption is far too weak for that. It was
because the act of decryption is illegal. If a pirate makes a copy of
a DVD then he had to decrypt the original DVD and that is what is
illegal. Making backups of DVDs if you have paid for them is not
illegal per se - decryption to make the backups is illegal.
This brings to mind the words of Ayn Rand.
"Did you really think we want those laws observed? We want them to be
broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy
scouts you're up against. We're after power and we mean it."
"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government
has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't
enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a
crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking
laws."
"Who wants a nation of law abiding citizens? What's there in that for
anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed
nor enforced or objectively interpreted and you create a nation of
law-breakers and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system,
that's the game and once you understand it you'll be much easier to
deal with."
--Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"
--
"The scientist is possessed by a rapturous amazement at the
harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such
superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking
and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection.
"This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work,
in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles
of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that
which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages."
--Albert Einstein
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