[Fsfe-ie] Letter about EUCD implementation

[Ian Clarke]

Conor Daly wrote:
> As one colleague of mine said:  "You don't have to buy the DVD in the
> first place".  If I make available for sale a work (eg. software, ebook)
> that requires certain software to make it accessible and you don't have
> the platform necessary to run the software, you shouldn't buy the work
> from me in the first place.  If you're not prepared to agree to an onerous
> license to use the necessary platform, you shouldn't have bought the work.
> If you can make your choice of platform run my software, that's fair
> enough but, if not, what gives you the right to crack my content
> protection?

Obviously one answer is that copyright is not a "natural right", it is a 
privilege granted to authors by the government for the purpose of 
encouraging creativity.  The quid pro quo is that the public gets rights 
in return.  If the copyright owner is now to deny users these rights, 
why should they continue to benefit from their part of the copyright deal?

Another question that could be asked in response to "what gives you the 
right to crack my content protection?" is "what gives you the right to 
tell me what I can and cannot do with my own computer?".

I know you were just playing devil's advocate, but I couldn't resist ;-)

Ian.

Ian.