cctalk digest, Vol 1 #391 - 45 msgs

The problem with this is that you are totally ignoring the owners rights in this. You are treating a program like physical property when it isn't. It is Intellectual Property. If you do not purchase a license from the author to use his work, you are not entitled to own it. Whether you have made a copy so that nobody else is deprived of their copy is immaterial. Something is lost by him/her. His/her rights to control the distribution of his/her work. If you don't want to buy it, then you shouldn't have it. If you say "F" you, I'm going to take one anyway... What's the point in having copyright/ownership laws? If the laws aren't used, respected and enforced.. eventually people will decide not to create cool stuff because most people will "copy" it (and in your concept, since they won't buy it anyway... No harm is being done...), and the author will recieve little to no compensation for his work. So, those people will decide to do something where they will get paid. If you consistently rob a store, eventually it will go out of business, and you won't have anything to rob anymore, not to mention... Actually buy something you need.... So there is HUGE harm in stealing software by copying it. Most pirates won't admit to it, because then they'd have to admit they are bad people, stealing This is all elementary business/copyright law. Not an opinion. It's the basis of all copyright law. Regards, Al __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com