Piracy is wrong and neither a choice nor opinion

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

Piracy *OPINIONS*? There is a grand total of one opinion that matters:
the legal stance. If the author/publisher says that piece of software
XYZ is commercial, it remains so until precisely one of two things
happens-- (1) The copyright holder changes it, or (2) 50 years from
author's death.  #2 is not going to happen anytime soon for most of
the software we're talking about, so only #1 is legally relevant.

   If you want something reclassified, ASK the author/publisher.  You
do not assume a single dang thing about the author's opinions, even
though "You'd fell the same." Can you prove that beyond a reasonable
doubt? Not without *asking*, which goes back to the proper solution.
To the pirates, the idea of using their brain to do anything other
than mentally orgasm about breaking the law is totally inconcievable,
which is why you see law abiders reclassifying and the pirates still
pirating. 

   There is no "right" to own anything at all. You don't have
something but want it, you pay whatever price can be fairly negotiated
with a seller-- or you don't posess it. A lack of trying to find it
legally is not an excuse for taking the wrong way out. Cut any
communistic crud about anything less than that.

   This is not merely "my" opinion. It is the legally and morally
correct method. As there is no honor that I've ever seen among
pirates, they'll pirate anything once they start-- while saying "we're
not pirating *your* stuff." That's a load of manure; many advocating
piracy here have uploaded commercially distributable software for mass
consumption, and refuse to admit that. [Small wonder, it makes all
their arguments about "age" a load of bunk.]

   And all the idiots who claim "it's all dead; we can pirate what
we want"-- you've got a blindfold on so thick you couldn't notice
the sun from ten miles away. Developers *DO* exist, and are hurt
when pirates are openly advocating pirating stuff-- we stand up and
speak for those not present to speak for themselves that you are
in the wrong.

   While lurking on the Playstation/Saturn/N64 newsgroups, I see far
too many of the "standard" arguments for piracy rehashed over and over
again, all in favor of pirating things that are still being sold in
stores, still in shelves, and still being developed. Once again,
pirates will steal anything they want to get their dirty hands on,
regardless of age, regardless of current status, regardless of any
claims to the contrary. Do I see any current csa2 piracy advocates
going to the other groups and telling the pirates there not to steal
what's currently available? That'll be the day...

   There's a new concept in law enforcement that's sprung up in the
last 10 years called the "Broken window theory." In short, problems go
from very small to very big. A broken window in the neighborhood
that's left untouched attracts worse people to the area. More and more
things fall into decay until you have a gangridden slum. The solution?
Attack problems as soon as they crop up rather than waiting for them
to fester into really big ones. Places where that's been adopted have
had far fewer problems in the past decade that it's been implemented
in. Same with piracy: once you start pirating and advocating piracy,
it will continuue with any software you want to get your hands on
regardless of ease of acquiring for a set price.

   Consider this: "First they came to pirate the ancient stuff. But I
always wanted a copy, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for more
recent stuff. But I felt guilty and couldn't bear to redeem myself and
stop them. Then they pirated currently developed software.  But they'd
silenced any opposition, and I was too afraid to finally speak
out. Then there was nothing left to pirate, and all I could find was a
barren landscape and vultures"

   A basket of Apples freshpicked off a tree can be quickly spoiled
by the presence of a rotten one. Similarly the rotten apples of
society can quickly permeate a healthy community of Apple computers.

   The rocks have been disturbed, and the cockroaches of piracy
are running around and demanding legitimacy. Push them back under
whatever festering pile of rubble they emerged from until they
learn to behave themselves.

   As long as people with a clue as to right and wrong exist,
advocating and the existence of piracy will be flamed on csa2. End of
story. The only way to reduce the flames is to get rid of the problem:
the pirates. Zero discussion, zero participation, zero tolerance, zero
flames. It's that simple, really.

Nathan Mates
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?  -R.A. Heinlein