Date: 15 Sep 92 14:27:40 CDT (Tue)
From: peter@FICC.FERRANTI.COM(Peter da Silva)
Subject: File 2--Response to Davis/Piracy (1)

Re: Wes Morgan's article in CuD #4.43

I largely agree with most of his arguments, but I would like to point
out one mistake... he says:

   "The whole concept of copyrights ... is based on the notion
    that the creator ... is entitled to some compensation for his
    effort"

This is just not true. The whole concept of copyrights and patents in
the United States is based on the notion that by making intellectual
property a salable commodity subject to market forces, more and better
intellectual property will be created and it will be distributed more
freely.

And, you know what, it works. There's no better refutation, nor need
there be a better refutation, of the argument that piracy promotes
openness. It doesn't. It promotes encrypted software, dongles, and
trade secrets. It discourages publication. It reduces the incentive to
create viable products of commercial quality. These are not the result
of intellectual property laws, they're the result of the failure to
enforce intellectual property laws.

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