Free givers blamed for thieves [LWN.net]

Free givers blamed for thieves

Posted Sep 23, 2003 17:25 UTC (Tue) by copsewood (subscriber, #199)
Parent article: SCO to Red Hat: you have no complaint

The reasoning that those who give things away for free encourage others to
take different things without paying for them is the same as
blaming those who give to charitable causes for the thievery of others.

When the argument SCO is using is presented in this way it
becomes a laughing stock.

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Free givers blamed for thieves

Posted Sep 23, 2003 18:26 UTC (Tue) by dwalters (subscriber, #4207) [Link]

I agree.

In fact, that finishing "fun little argument" is the one that's the most galling in my view. Here, SCO are trying to capitalize on the current climate in which the recording industry is clamping down on file swappers, to link the Open Source community with those with no respect for copyright, a despicable, and personally insulting insinuation.

I hope Red Hat's rebuttal clearly condemns this comparison or attempt to link those of us who are involved in developing or using Open Source software with music copyright infringement.

If there was ever such a thing as a class action slander lawsuit, I'd be first in line to sue SCO over their nasty insults, in the form of underhanded suggestions and insinuations linking the Open Source community with criminal activity.