>>>> Can you say DRM ?
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/shouldbefree.html
>>>> 
>>>> is probably far more articulate than I could ever be. It just seems to 
>>>> me that until you toss the yoke of slavery off your back, you will 
>>>> always be a slave.
>>>> 
>>>> I'll quit there - except for one thing - Joseph, please consider 
>>>> sending text format instead of html - it really made it hard to read.
>>>> 
>> 
>> ----- If you are referring to the Richard Stallman treatise that I linked -
>>  I would suggest that a discussion of that would be most appropriate and 
>> not at all a flame fest. I know that my attitude has greatly drifted 
>> towards that logic over time - though 3 years ago, I probably would have 
>> disagreed with it.

> Would you hold the same position for pharmaceuticals or other intellectual 
> property industries?  If so, I would love to debate the matter (By debate I 
> refer to classical arguments where ideas are exchanged for edification, it 
> can be hard to lay down context in email)
> 
> BTW I do think copywriting code is also crap.  It should fall under patents, 
> but there are a few issues with that as well...
> 
> A discussion may be good (we could do a panel discussion at installfest ;)

Code is like the written word and should be under copyright.  Hence why you can 
print it out and carry it out of this country in that form.  I don't think it 
should be patentable since code isn't really a process or a device.  It is 
simply instructions that still require a machine to make them work, much like 
the directions you are given in class to do an assignment.

As for copyrights.  Those have gone completely too far the wrong way.  When 
copyrights first were put into law they were for a period of 14 years with the 
option to extend it for another 14 years, similar to patents that can be 
extended from 14 to 20 nowadays.  It saw a major extension to the time in the 
early 70's when it was extended to be author's life + 50 or 75 years for 
contracted works.  It was extended again in 1998 for life + 70 or 95 for 
contracted works.  To me, the fact that copyright goes beyond the life of the 
original author no longer constitutes for a limited time.  Think of it this way, 
something you write at the age of 20 will still be copyrighted for 70 years 
after you die.  If you live to be 70, the work will be under copyright for 120 
YEARS!!!  If you live to be 90, the work will be under copyright for 140 years 
before it becomes part of the public domain.  As for corporate hold, we've seen 
issues that have been coming up due to the length of copyright for corporations. 
  Archive footage like the Zapruder film and works showing individuals like MLK, 
Jr. won't be in the public domain until 2055+ and the cost to access such 
footage for documentaries, et. al. are getting very pricey because the works are 
getting bought up by clearing houses.

US Copyright Timeline
http://arl.cni.org/info/frn/copy/timeline.html

Copyright laws block documentary showing
http://www.freep.com/entertainment/tvandradio/tv7e_20050207.htm

As for DRM.  That is a trickier place to stick my toes.  I'm for it in certain 
regards, but against it in others.  PDF allows me to lock down my data as I 
choose, but the spec is open and others writing code to that spec can just 
ignore those flags.  I can see that authors might not like the fact that others 
can just yank stuff out of the PDF that they supposedly locked down, but I can 
see it on the other side.  I have to right quite a lot of papers this year and 
like the fact that I can take articles that I have in PDF and right out text or 
images for quoting.  I get the exact quote without my fingers fat typing and 
introducing errors in the quote and they still get cited as the source.  Same 
thing with CDs.  I can see the industry not liking individuals ripping and 
encoding the CDs for distribution on the Net without the permission of the 
copyright holder.  But I don't like them stomping on my ability to listen to the 
music I purchased in a way that works for me.  I carry my entire collection with 
me wherever I go and it weighs far less on my laptop than carrying around 100+ 
CDs would weigh.
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