The Free Zone Board

[Spallenzani]

I think this confuses the issue a bit.

Well, no, that IS the issue. You asked me what the moral justification was for intellectual property rights and I told you what I thought.

Well, here is the problem with your argument. You seem to be implying that someone who sells intellectual property for a living is entitled to that money to sustain himself. But no one is entitled to a living, unless, of course, people are willing to buy what he has to sell and in large enough quantities to support him.

I am not entitled to a living playing basketball, because no wants to pay to watch me play basketball the way that some people want to pay to watch Michael Jordan play basketball.

And if intellectual property is different than regular property, which it is, then the real question is how much does it differ, not if a person should be able to make a living selling it.

Well, no. I disagree, if what you're saying is that people ought to be able download and copy and disseminate copyrighted material at will, in mass quantities. That greatly reduces any incentive for anyone to buy, thus greatly increasing the potential for harm in the form of lost income to the creator. Do you not see that?

I do see it, but the problem here is an administration problem, not a moral problem. If we were able to discern between people who would otherwise pay and those who would not, then the law would be simple: only those who would otherwise pay are obligated to pay. Since judges are not mind readers, such a solution is not possible, and the law must apply to everyone. But that doesn't address the moral issue of whether a wrong has been committed in the case of someone who would not have otherwise paid but who used the intellectual property anyway.

Well, neuro's not stealing intellectual property. He's stealing CABLE SERVICE.

And is cable service significantly different from intellectual property?

I tend to agree with GW here. If neuro thinks what he's doing is righteous, let him tell the cable company and see if they share his view. ;)

But that doesn't answer the question. If I ask my neighbor whether painting my house a bright yellow is immoral, he may say yes because he does not want to live next to a bright yellow house, not because he has any great insight into questions of morality.