** It's off-topic I know, but I always felt like forcing the entirety of the Windows source code to be public domain would have been the best punishment for Microsoft after they were convicted of abusing their monopoly. What better punishment for an abusive monopolist than to give anyone and everyone the ability to directly compete with them on their own turf? It's certainly a neater solution than meaningless fines or any of the proposals to split them up into multiple companies.
It's actually relatively on-topic. Anyway, what you're suggesting would almost certainly violate the Berne Convention. And I'm pretty sure your government is legally obliged to adhere to international treaties.
My answer to that, is that if a treaty interferes with doing the right and just thing, it is not the right and just thing which needs to be abandoned.
Abandoning a treaty may have negative consequences, such as losing the reciprocal treatment you enjoyed while honoring it. To that, I say that the main reason why there are so many abusive practices in the world is because we care far too much about convenience.
Convenience has its place. The division of labor has advanced civilization quite well. I like the convenience of not having to slaughter my own meat or gather my own medicinal herbs. Microsoft and others have acted in their own self-interest, but I've personally benefited from the technology they developed. Would I have benefited more from another competitor in the marketplace? I don't know, and am not overly concerned. Not enough to warrant anger.
Slashdot Mirror
** It's off-topic I know, but I always felt like forcing the entirety of the Windows source code to be public domain would have been the best punishment for Microsoft after they were convicted of abusing their monopoly. What better punishment for an abusive monopolist than to give anyone and everyone the ability to directly compete with them on their own turf? It's certainly a neater solution than meaningless fines or any of the proposals to split them up into multiple companies.
It's actually relatively on-topic. Anyway, what you're suggesting would almost certainly violate the Berne Convention. And I'm pretty sure your government is legally obliged to adhere to international treaties.
My answer to that, is that if a treaty interferes with doing the right and just thing, it is not the right and just thing which needs to be abandoned. Abandoning a treaty may have negative consequences, such as losing the reciprocal treatment you enjoyed while honoring it. To that, I say that the main reason why there are so many abusive practices in the world is because we care far too much about convenience.
Convenience has its place. The division of labor has advanced civilization quite well. I like the convenience of not having to slaughter my own meat or gather my own medicinal herbs. Microsoft and others have acted in their own self-interest, but I've personally benefited from the technology they developed. Would I have benefited more from another competitor in the marketplace? I don't know, and am not overly concerned. Not enough to warrant anger.
The order of importance:
Government workers > Lawyers > corporations > citizens
As a government worker, I have to say I'm none too happy to be this closely associated with lawyers.