From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 22:17:56 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Re: the best justice money can buy --Lessig (fwd)
Message-ID: <199802061414.IAA05746@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

> Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 03:13:00 -0800 (PST)
> From: mark@unicorn.com
> Subject: Re: the best justice money can buy --Lessig (fwd)

> Jim Choate (ravage@ssz.com) wrote:
> >If there were no copyright nobody would have any reason to market software
> >or much else for that matter.
> 
> So I presume that Linux doesn't exist[1]? And, for that matter, I make my
> living writing software which is given away for free...

So do I, and I bet both our incomes combined doesn't add up to 15 minutes of
Bill G's and it won't. From a market perspective we're flies on the back of
great elephant. Please be so kind as to describe how and why this marketing
mechanism (copyleft) will succed? I've been using and supporting Linux since
1993 (SSZ is listed as a source site in the back of 'Running Linux' since 
day one) in this manner neither I or anyone else has gotten rich. Linus made
so much money off it that he went to work for a company in So. Cali. writing
fully commercial software...  

> [1] Yes, I'm aware the GPL uses copyright to enforce its conditions, but
> it's copright-free in the important sense: anyone can copy Linux and use 
> it with no fear of black ninjas at their door.

It's copyrighted in the important sense in that it uses the copyright to
enforce its conditions. That is just as important as the marketing decisions
made by it.



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