Forwarded message:

Subject: Re: the best justice money can buy --Lessig (fwd) From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM) Date: Thu, 05 Feb 98 16:26:45 EST

...

...

Of course there's a free-market remedy for Microsoft; eliminate copyright. anyone can copy Microsoft software for free, it would be forced to compete on real benefits rather than installed base.

If there were no copyright nobody would have any reason to market software or much else for that matter. I would predict that much of the technology and infrastructure we have now wouldn't exist. It would also stiffle creativity and new methodologies because there would be no profit in it to recoup development costs. Those who would survive in such a market would be the 800-lb gorillas because only they would have the resources to squash the smaller companies.

Software development seems to be thriving in countries that aren't very keen on enforcing copyright laws - do you care to explain why?

Oh yeah... Software development is a long way from selling software, not the same animal at all. I mean when I go down to the dozen computer stores within a mile or so of my house I am truly deluged by software from countries outside of the US and Canada. I mean we have all heard of the Indian and Bulgarian software billionares haven't we? And all those folks in Turkey just rolling in cash... Further, who do the majority of these folks who actualy make a reasonable living work for either directly or under contract? Large US and Eurpean countries thats who. That's why those folks can make a living developing (not selling) software.

...

Free markets monopolize.

Hmm... There's no copyright on perfumes. There are market leaders in perfumes, but no monopoly; hardly even an olygopoly.

I can tell how often you buy perfume, the ones I buy for my girlfriend certainly have a little 'c' on them... And as to the number of companies that are actualy developing perfume versus reselling it under their own house brands...there might be a couple dozen succesful (say stay in business more than 5 years) in the whole world and I would go so far as to hypothesize that if one were motivated to plot the number of companies per year over the last say 50 years you would see the number go *down*. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | The most powerful passion in life is not love or hate, | | but the desire to edit somebody elses words. | | | | Sign in Ed Barsis' office | | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http://www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage@ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|