Re: Free riding on Gnutella white paper

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Wed Nov 29 2000 - 14:23:28 MST


Alex Future Bokov wrote:
>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
> On Mon, 27 Nov 2000, Chris Russo wrote:
>
> > >FREE RIDING ON GNUTELLA
> >
> >
> > I find it rather difficult to pity the failed efforts of groups with
> > no better goal than to circumvent the rights of copyright holders.
>
> Sigh. Broken record. Okay, let's try this one more time.
>
> If... an... industry... cannot... stay... afloat... without... the...
> government... propping... them... up... does... it... deserve... to...
> continue... existing?
>
> If... a... "right"... is... unenforceable... is... it... a... natural...
> right?

If use licenses cannot be enforced in the courts, and if the population
stops respecting them, then all of contract law (and rule of law in
general) is in danger. Rights are only unenforceable when enough people
choose to stop respecting them. That does not mean they are not natural
rights. Did the holocaust make the right to live no longer a natural
right?



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