The Death of D. (Was Tango vs Phobos)

[Jb]

"Adam D. Ruppe" <destructionator at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:mailman.8.1219006500.19733.digitalmars-d at puremagic.com...

> In the real world, it serves a useful purpose - letting artists work full
> time without selling originals or working on commission, permitting things
> to be created that otherwise would be neglected in favor of the artist 
> paying
> his bills. Thus it is allowed to exist.

I wish you'd put that paragraph first and then I wouldnt have spent 30 
minutes responding to all your utopian copyright free wet dreams.

;-)

I do think you overstate what copyright actualy does. It doesnt prevent 
sharing of ideas and information. It just prevent copying of (usualy) 
artistic works.

You can read a book and tell people about what is in the book. Explain the 
ideas. Or tell them about your experiences of a film you saw.

You can even buy it on DVD and have them round your house to watch it.

All it actualy does is stop you making a copy and giving it to them.



>Consider a world without copyright for a moment. Say you find a software
>library on the Internet that is perfect for your needs and would shave
>weeks off your development time.
>
>With copyright, you have to adhere to its license, which wastes your time.
>Without copyright, you just take it and use it.

Actualy without copyright the chances of finding that library would be 
greatly diminished. For a start if people want to they can already create 
software and release with no restrictions. This option already exists.

All that would happen if you killed copyright is the people who write and 
release software in order to make a living would likely go out of business 
and end up doing somthing else.

For a start nobody would be obliged to pay for their work. Second anyone 
could copy it and put it up on their website, and sell it as if it were 
there own.

You end up in a situation where those people with the most ruthless business 
practices are the ones who will do most well.

So the idea that art / software production would flourish without copyright 
is plain false, it's so false it's almost absurd.