There are ways to provide aid that don't rely on the method of just giving hand outs. For instance, Heifer International donates farm animals to families. They teach the family how to raise it, but the family has to take care of it. Kiva loans people money, and favors loans requested to start/improve a business. What's interesting about Kiva is that you see who you'd be donating to and what they want it for, and choose where your money goes.
So there are options out there. Perhaps the problem isn't the act of donating; maybe it's just the model.
I gotta agree. He developed it at home, which was smart if he planned to profit off of it. But by testing and distributing it at work, he opened a can of worms. He should have kept it completely separate from work. He should have presented it to his superiors and mentioned that he wanted payment before proceeding, rather than just getting it installed on the system.
As it is, I would say that the government has a good claim on owning it, or at least getting the rights to use it for free. He still got a promotion out of it. However, for their part, just cracking it was completely the wrong way to go. The courts also had to go ahead and set a precedent that the government is above the law. I can't help but wonder if the court intended to set a far reaching precedent.
There are ways to provide aid that don't rely on the method of just giving hand outs. For instance, Heifer International donates farm animals to families. They teach the family how to raise it, but the family has to take care of it. Kiva loans people money, and favors loans requested to start/improve a business. What's interesting about Kiva is that you see who you'd be donating to and what they want it for, and choose where your money goes. So there are options out there. Perhaps the problem isn't the act of donating; maybe it's just the model.
I gotta agree. He developed it at home, which was smart if he planned to profit off of it. But by testing and distributing it at work, he opened a can of worms. He should have kept it completely separate from work. He should have presented it to his superiors and mentioned that he wanted payment before proceeding, rather than just getting it installed on the system. As it is, I would say that the government has a good claim on owning it, or at least getting the rights to use it for free. He still got a promotion out of it. However, for their part, just cracking it was completely the wrong way to go. The courts also had to go ahead and set a precedent that the government is above the law. I can't help but wonder if the court intended to set a far reaching precedent.
They used the key in the magnetic container under the bumper of Al Gore's car.