[MPlayer-users] Re: Rescuing a scratched DVD

[Mr. Christopher F. Miller]

On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 03:02:28PM -0500, D Richard Felker III wrote:
> > > Copyright monopoly is not any more legitimate than other
> > > government-granted monopolies as a way to make money. If you can't
> > > make a profit without enforcing it against individuals, you should
> > > find another business model.
> > 
> > You can be sure that without patents and copyrights, there would be
> > far less innovation generally,
> 
> This is blatently false. In fact the opposite is true.
> 

Saying "is so" or "is not" doesn't make an impressive argument either way.

Copyright was granted in the Constitution IN EXCHANGE FOR work reverting
to the commonwealth AFTER A LIMITED TIME.  The right was created not
only to spark innovation but to see that any innovations returned to the
public.  Considering "time to market" in colonial days and the original
right limited of 7 years, well, that deal has been broken.  So yeah,
one can't hardly build prisons fast enough to keep up with legislation
like that.


-- 

Christopher F. Miller                                 mandrake at duckspeak.net
duckspeak.net                             208 Portland Road, Gray, ME  04039
1.207.657.5078                                     http://www.duckspeak.net/