Re: [Fsfe-uk] Re: [discuss] Open source software News

[Timothy Baldwin]

On Saturday 22 May 2004 15:03, Ralph Janke wrote:

> Tom, you are absolutely right. GPL is based on the foundation of a
> working copyright law. Also GPL is far less socialistic
> than patents.

How do claim that patents, a form intelluctual propiery, and therefore a form 
of private propetry, are socialistic?

> Free markets are working because of competition.

How can free markets be working when large numbers of people live in poverty?

> In order  
> to have price stability and innovation, it is very
> helpful to have as much competition as possible.

An (democratically made) agreement  to keep prices stable, should also keep 
prices stable. Cooperation is more efficent than competeion, how much effort 
is expanded by OpenOffice.org in being compatiable with Microsoft Office, and 
how much resources does Microsoft spend in being incompatible, or spreading 
FUD? Also consider the cost of developing 2 office suites instead of one.

> However, even patents have their place where investments are so high,
> that without a "protected" market the risk of investment is too high, and
> therefore the absence of a monopoly market for some time would prevent
> the development of i.e. medication that is beneficial to society.

Public funding (distrubuted on a democratic basis) would solve that.

> Patents therefore should be used as remedy for problems that free
> markets are not setup to solve, not as general applicable principle.
> A general principle of ownership for a few of something that should be
> able to be owned  (through copyright) by many should be called feudalism.
No, that's class society, of which capitalism and feudalism are examples.

> I do not see why it can be claimed that it is socialism
What are you saying is claimed is socialism?

> when competition is promoted,
Right


-- 
Member AFFS, WYLUG, SWP (UK), ANL, RESPECT, Leeds SA, Leeds Anti-war coalition
No to software patents!    No to DRM/EUCD - hands off our computers!

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