Yo ho ho (this isn't about Ken Dowlin any more)

[Walt Crawford]

I'm really saddened to see that Eric Lease Morgan has
joined the jolly band of Internet pirates. I can think
of no surer way to reduce the long-term usefulness of
the Internet than to assert that intellectual property
rights don't obtain here...

Too bad. I'd respected much of Morgan's earlier work.
I don't have much respect for any library person who
doesn't respect my property or that of others, however--
and it's always *expression* we're talking about, not
"information" [facts can't be copyrighted as such].

I've charitably assumed that the person who copied an
entire San Francisco Chronicle article from The Gate
did so naively. That's clearly not the case with those
now advocating theft as an ethical course. I don't buy
it. We don't all make our livings from universities or
government handouts; I regard our work in processing
information, making sense of it, and making it useful
to others as being nonetheless valuable...and worthy of
compensation.

[Eric Lease Morgan wrote:]
[copied only to provide context for the above]

>My experience with the Internet says, "If you don't want it copied, then
>don't put it on the 'Net."
>
>Ideas and information are not to be sold, leased, nor monopolised.
>
Sorry, Eric, but piracy being easy doesn't make it ethical.
-walt crawford, br.wcc at rlg.org
 Speaking only for myself--but then, RLG does sell
 processed information, don't we?

To:  WEB4LIB at LIBRARY.BERKELEY.EDU