Subject: Re: IP
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 13:10:24 -0700 (PDT)
To:       Bob Armstrong <bob@cosy.com>
From:     Ram Samudrala <ram@compbio.washington.edu>
Bob Armstrong wrote:

> Just browsed your site after being googled to your review of Pi=
 
> which I was looking for to pass some references to the founder=
 
> of http://www.stockdiagnostics.com .  I have added a link to=
 your
>http://www.ram.org/ramblings/philosophy/fmp/copying_primer.html
> to my  http://cosy.com/Liberty.htm  tho I disagree with you .

Thanks -- I'll link back shortly!
 
> I think you ought to consider that your livelihood and the=
 capital
> investment in the resources at your disposal are based on an
> expected continuing production of "intellectual property" from=
 you .

Not at all. Everything I create is freely copiable. I'd not be=
 here if
it weren't. I'm uncompromising in this regard. 

> "plag" and got no hit .  Surely if you do not agree that a
> representation that some other's work is you own is a fraud=
 and
> appropriately punishable, then we have no common ground .

I think plagiarism is different from copying. 

> stupid .  Sorry for the bluntness . But your claim justifies=
 theft 
> of property of any kind . 

Nope.


> More generally , it is intrinsic to the value of my software=
 that
> it be open-code .  But it is also a necessity that I be able=
 to
> make a living - a profit - if you like that word.

Profit is fine. I'm against control of copying and copying=
 machines.

> But just because shoplifting may be easy to do , and is a
> restriction of freedom solely in the name of economic profit ,=
 does
> not make it moral .

No. But there is non-circular deprivation. If I "take" an item=
 from
you, you no longer have item. If I make a copy, you still have a
copy. 

> Thanks for the review of "Pi" .

No worries -- you can copy it and use it as you wish! Along with=
 500+
other reviews I've written just on movies alone.

--Ram