[NTLK] h*cks, kr*ks, SN

[Anthony Martinez]

Excerpts from Norman Palardy's message of Sun Jan 17 10:44:08 -0700 2010:
> 
> On 16-Jan-10, at 6:54 PM, Jim Lee wrote:
> 
> > Wow, that is a totally ridiculous statement!  Did you think before  
> > you typed??
> 
> The materials author (whether it's software, books ,etc) retains  
> copyright regardless of whether we can get in touch with them or not.

This is correct. However, the damages for copyright infringement seem to be:
Actual+profits for infringer, or statutory damages: not less than: $500 or more
than $20000, or 150000 per willful damage, plus attorney's fees.
(straight from my notes in a CS Ethics course; IANAL but the professor is)

> Knowingly violating that copyright just because we think it's  
> "abandonware" does not make it right or legal.

Says you. It appears that the position of the list is that software is abandoned
when repeated attempts to find the author *in order to give them the money they
ask* have failed. Serial trade is, in some cases, the ONLY thing that can be
done for this software to be anything other than a useless lump of bits!

Also, I'd love to see the lawsuit for something like this, assuming a lawyer
would even take the case.

> Trying to defend a position that tries to make it sound high minded  
> and moral is untenable.

I find it fairly untenable to publicly and angrily take offense on behalf of a
nebulous third party that appears to be uncontactable, in order to sound
high-minded and moral. Cough.

> It's theft and you know it.

Actually, it's copyright infringement.

"Software theft via serial number generator" sounds like "Music grievous bodily
harm by home taping".

> Sadly the internet age has made it easy to be a thief - you no longer  
> have to walk into a store and put products into your pockets and risk  
> getting caught.
> Now you download a bunch of bits.
> And somehow people think this is ok

Go on riding your high-horse into the sunset~

-- 
I saw `cout' being shifted "Hello world" times to the left and stopped right
there.
-- Steve Gonedes