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>> But this society has set up few rules, and the few rules there are seems
>> to be based on tolerance, respect, and freedom. If we impose the rigid
>> rules here of that outside world, will we stifle the desire to freely
>> give of ourselves, poisoning the so-far carefree atmosphere that
exists here?
>I can think of no better way to poison a carefree atmosphere that to
>steal the work of others and use it without their permission. Such an
>action is not based on respect or freedom, but on a callous disregard
>for the right of creators to own and control their own work.
I agree that copyright protection *fosters* an atmosphere of exchange and
sharing. If I were sure that I could never protect my own creative and
original work from bein misappropriated by someone for their own gain or
credit, then I would not share such work on the Net. I know that there
are people who steal others' work; I've seen it happen. A writer's work
wound up in PRINT, attributed to another person--and it had been snagged
off a USENET group. Without assurance that copyright laws protect my
work, I won't be willing to risk putting my stuff out there on the Net.
If, on the other hand, I have the security of copyright protection, then
I am willing to share--knowing that no one can freely claim credit for
my own work or make profit off of it without my permission and/or
cooperation. Heck, I WISH someone would make money off of my writing for
me--cuz then I'd take 'em to court, demonstrate that I was the original
author, and then take a hefty cut of the profits, leaving some for the
stealer to keep him in business so he can generate more income off of my
stolen work....if he's willing to pay a fair cost, I'm willing to work
with him.
>Copyright laws do not prevent authors from freely giving away their work,
>if that's what they choose to do. But authors must be free to choose
>*not* to give away their work, and copyright laws guarantee that
>freedom.
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James Poulakos engjcp -at- gsusgi2 -dot- gsu -dot- edu
Department of English
Georgia State University __________________________________________
University Plaza |ASK ME how the Georgia Board of Regents |
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 |&/or Kaiser Permanente are DEFRAUDING me|
(404) 651-2900 |and other GSU employees! |
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**All postings from engjcp -at- gsusgi2 -dot- gsu -dot- edu: (c) James Poulakos, 1994,
unless otherwise noted therein. All rights reserved.**
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[[ OPINIONS AND EXPRESSIONS HEREIN ARE NOT THOSE OF GA. STATE UNIVERSITY ]]
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