Re: FSF : lackeys of their corporate masters

[David Kastrup]

Stefaan A Eeckels <tengo@DELETEMEecc.lu> writes:

> On 06 May 2004 13:04:38 +0200
> David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> wrote:
> 
> > Stefaan A Eeckels <tengo@DELETEMEecc.lu> writes:
> > 
> > > The idea behind copyrights and patents (protected trademarks are
> > > something different) is to make it worthwhile to produce "goods"
> > > that can be reproduced at low cost. If you cannot get a reasonable
> > > compensation for producing a book, an opera, or a computer program
> > > because of unbridled copying, then you will probably decide you need
> > > a day job to support you (like sitting at the till in a Pick'n Pay
> > > :-). It is fairly obvious that today, the system is out of kilter,
> > > but it's equally obvious that the availability of cheap reproduction
> > > makes it impossible to produce certain (maybe desirable)
> > > reproducible goods.
> > 
> > The availability of cheap reproduction makes it impossible to produce
> > desirable reproducible goods?
> > 
> > That is completely and utter bullshit.  The availability of cheap
> > reproduction does not _replace_ the initial production of a
> > reproducible good.  Before something can be reproduced, it has to
> > exist in the first place.
> 
> Before it can be re-produced, it has to be produced :-).

Same thing.

> But the original production requires an investment, and the investor
> needs to be reasonably confident that the investment can be recouped
> (or have independent means of subsistence, but that's another
> debate).  Either the investment can be recouped by the sale of the
> original item, or it needs to be spread over the sale of a number of
> copies. In the latter case, if not enough revenue can be derived
> from the sale of copies (because someone else makes and sells them),
> then it might not be economically possible to produce the original.

But somebody else can't make and sell what has not been produced in
the first place.  If you think that enough interest in the market
exists, set up a subscription model.  Blender 3D was GPLed after
something like 100000EUR were pooled for that.

According to your logic, companies like RedHat should be dead,
because they produce only reproducible stuff.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum