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Re: [News] Microsoft Starts Crackdown on Piracy, Could Drive People to Linux

Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> Microsoft starts Operation Fair Play 
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Software firm Microsoft has introduced a programme dubbed Operation
>| Fair Play which is aimed at kicking pirates in the goolies.
> `----
> 
> http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37597
> 
> New copyright police to increase raids and seizures in UK
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| "Crimelords currently earn fortunes peddling fake goods, bootleg
>| CDs and DVDs through car boot sales and other outlets," Trading
>| Standards Institute chief executive Ron Gainsford said. "People 
>| should realise that the proceeds from the sale of these goods
>| are used to finance a whole range of criminal activities."
> `----
> 
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/13/more_copyright_police/
> 
> They are sqeezing the goose for that golden egg. Maybe we'll be hearing about
> many more people switching to Linux. Or maybe we won't because Microsoft
> owns much of the media and OEMs are virtually forced to preinstall Windows
> (for 'market share' vanity).
> 

I have no problem with a push on handling counterfeiting, which is not
nice and shouldn't be done.  I do, however, have a big problem with the
restraints on trade that many manufacturers have managed to introduce by
preventing or aiming to prevent people buying goods in one geography and
selling them on elsewhere.  Examples include Tesco and (afairc) Levi
Jeans which are sold for a stupidly high price in the UK, but can be
imported and sold for next to nothing, unless, of course, the Levi
Strauss company abuse the legal system to get some kind of supply-chain
monopoly, which is what they did.  Same thing applies to DVDs;  two days
ago, I spent ages on the net tracking down a portable
DVD/CD/VCD/SVCD/DIVX player for my No2 son.  The reason it took so long
was that trying to find something which supported all the formats, and
could be region-uncoded was not that simple.  Why do we need a region
zero machine?  So that my No2 son can play his perfectly legitimate DVDs
which he bought in Canada last time we were there.  

I fail to see how some manufacturers are treated in this special way,
where they're allowed to manipulate markets and the legal system in
order to control consumer behaviour.  One of the major forces which
operates in favour of the consumer is the marketplace, another /should/
be government, but all too often, government colludes with businesses in
order to disrupt market operation in favour of the businesses, and
agaisnt the interests of the consumer, ie., the people.  This is really
not acceptable at all.  One of the most specious arguments I've seen in
favour of this is around company law, where companies have many of the
same rights as people - this being used as an excuse for lobbying,
government assisted market-distortion and so on - *however*, companies
are just that - they are not people, they are not society, they do not
vote, they do not think, they are not real entities in any way, and they
do not have human rights, because they are not human.

So I agree - let's see a stop to counterfeit goods, *but*, let's see a
free market in branded goods, too.  

-- 
| Mark Kent   --   mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk          |
| Cola faq:  http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/   |
| Cola trolls:  http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/                        |

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