Greenspun On File-Sharing!

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http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2003/09/25

OK this is totally a meta thread, it just amused me to find ex-deity PG's weblog.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 26 September 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

"Philip, what if I were to give you $100. Would there be anything illegal about that?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, how about if I asked you to sleep with me? Would that be illegal?"
We were in New York City so I answered "No."
"Well then, why should it be illegal for me to ask you to sleep with me for $100?"

Or as George Carlin put it:
Selling is legal. Fucking is legal. Why isn't [the] selling [of] fucking legal? Why is it illegal to sell something thats perfectly lega to give away?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Friday, 26 September 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

anyhow...great little article from our old site host. Bravissimo!

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Friday, 26 September 2003 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked this:

Consider this scenario. You are sitting at Starbucks and see a friend. He is not inside your Starbucks but across the street in the other Starbucks. You walk across the street. Both of you happen to have your MP3 jukeboxes your pockets. He says "Have you heard the latest Britney Spears song? It reminds me so much of the late Beethoven Quartets with some of Stravinsky's innovative tonality." You haven't? Just click your MP3 jukeboxes together and sync them up. Any tracks that he had and you didn't you now have. You're using a digital audio recorder; the device won't do anything except record music. You're not paying each other so it is noncommercial. Under Section 1008 what you're doing is perfectly legal in the United States

― (Jon L), Friday, 26 September 2003 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I think in this scenario Starbucks should have to make some kind of payment to the RIAA.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 27 September 2003 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

and starbucks, for acting as a 'broker' of sorts for you to meet up with fellow music fanatics

― carmen (carmen), Sunday, 28 September 2003 02:08 (twenty-two years ago)

And Starbucks.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 28 September 2003 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

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