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Freenet Creator Debates RIAA

Posted by simoniker on from the free-always-controversial dept.

smd4985 writes "Over at CNET News.com, there's a good coverage of a debate between Ian Clarke of Freenet and Matt Oppenheim of the RIAA." In discussing whether it's "legal and moral to create and use Freenet", which is "a radically decentralized network of file-sharing nodes tied together with strong encryption", the RIAA's Oppenheim suggests: "Other than the fact that most infringers do not like to use Freenet because it is too clunky for them to get their quick hit of free music, it is no more of a threat than any of the popular P2P services."

3 of 806 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Speaking of rights. by angle_slam · · Score: 5, Informative

    No. You buy a disc that contains music. There is no license except those that come from the copyright laws.

  2. Re:Propaganda over rationality. by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 5, Informative
    This doesn't apply to material that requires a license. If you have the material, and you don't have a license, you have broken the fucking law.

    The bogus concept of software EULAs has confused you.

    Copyright has nothing to do with a "licence" to own or use a copy of a work. Copyright involves a licence to copy a work - a right to copy, thus the name.

    When there's no copying involved, there is no copyright issue. There's no copying and no licence involved when you purchase a CD from your local record store. (Software EULAs are based on the ridiculous notion that loading a program into memory is "copying". I don't think this has ever been upheld.)

    --
    Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
    You cannot wash away blood with blood
  3. Re:Speaking of rights. by angle_slam · · Score: 5, Informative
    Even Microsoft has a replacement media program. If your disks are damaged in some way and unusable you can send them to Redmond and they'll ship you another copy.

    But that's because you are buying a license when you buy software. You can read the terms of the license and decide whether or not you agree with the license. With CDs, there is no license. You buy a CD and you receive the contents of the CD. You have fair use rights to create personal copies, but are otherwise limited in your ability to distribute, perform publicly, create derivative works, and copy. The limitations are in the copyright statutes.