Re: Prick (v.)--the first martyr?

Comet (comet@naxs.net)
Fri, 20 Aug 1999 21:49:53 -0400

Kragen Sitaker wrote:
>
> The AP writes, on a news release containing a list of relief agencies:
> > Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
> > report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
> > without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
>
> That has to be the most morally contemptible copyright message I've
> ever seen. Not only does it assert a legally indefensible claim to
> "the information contained", it forbids you from telling other people
> where they can send their money to help earthquake victimes.
>
> Intellectual property is going to take its place alongside genocide,
> oppressive pseudo-religion, feudalism, totalitarianism, and terrorism
> as the latest of the greatest crime against humanity.

I so very intensely agree that it gives me pain to ponder it. Books
and periodicals for research are a precious commodity in my home
region. It makes the internet is all the more wondrous to me... so
what if you have to wade thru a lot of muck to find the pearls? It
only serves to teach you to question, think and dig deeper...

Friday August 20 4:39 PM ET

First Person Convicted Of Internet Piracy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Oregon college student who gave away music,
movies and
software on the Web has become the first person convicted of a felony
under a U.S. law
punishing Internet copyright piracy, the government said Friday.

Jeffrey Gerard Levy, 22, a senior at the University of Oregon in
Eugene, pleaded guilty to
violating the No Electronic Theft Act of 1997, the Justice Department
announced.

The Justice Department said Levy admitted that in January of this year
he ``illegally posted computer software
programs, musical recordings, entertainment software programs and
digitally recorded movies on his Internet
Web site, allowing the general public to download and copy these
copyrighted products.''

A Justice Department official said there was no evidence that Legy had
made any profit from the freely
available works.

Anybody who distributes 10 or more copyrighted works with a value of
more than $2,500 can face up to three
years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Levy faces sentencing
Nov. 2. 

-- 
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    "I am a deeply superficial person." -- Andy Warhol