Does anybody actually believe that because something is illegal, it's morally wrong? If that's the case, we should have lynched (or hell, afflecked for that matter) Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and any other practitioner of civil disobedience history may have to offer.
Legislation is not a moral mandate, folks!
Responses:
Hugh Manatee
Does anyone else want to tarnish the name of these noble people in the name of free Britney Spears mp3s?
Hugh Manatee
Of course illegal doesn't automatically equal morallly wrong. But, it does create a strong presumption.
Hugh Manatee
Once you combine illegal with 400 years of legal backing and a decent economic theory, you have to do more than just say "Martin Luther King, Jr" to rebut the presumption that illegal does equal wrong.
Hugh Manatee
btw, just so we are on the same page. Here is the decent economic theory I'm talking about: If copying is allowed, then no one will ever compensate the author for putting something into the public domain. So, to counteract, we give the author limited monopoly in return for creating things.
Crow T. Robot
It's true. I got a limited edition Monopoly for creating my new song about Mike.
Mike Nelson
What? Who got you that?
Crow T. Robot
You did. Well, I ordered it on your credit card.
Yeah, I got "Lord of the Rings" Monopoly. The houses are all hobbits and the hotels are those death rider things.
Mike Nelson
But...I don't remember a song about me.
Crow T. Robot
Well, I got this first. Like an advance. But I'm, uh, working on the song. I should let you know, it's going to be about your ass.
I'm going for that hip-hop kind of thing.
Mike Nelson
You stole my credit card and you're writing a song about my ass?
Crow T. Robot
Mike, if I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't respect my intellectual property rights.
