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Election 2006 (and beyond): Digital Copyright Canada

Free/Libre Software and Community Networking FORUM

Re: comnet-www: Eric Raymond doesn't represent me.

From: Richard Guy Briggs <rgb_-at-_conscoop.ottawa.on.ca>
To: comnet-www_-at-_flora.org
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 11:29:31 -0500
References: <3C57F62F.7F7BB63B@flora.ca>

On Wed, Jan 30, 2002 at 08:33:35AM -0500, Russell McOrmond wrote:
> Reply to: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-820564.html
> 
>   "I'm opposed to antitrust law in principle," Raymond said. "Markets solve
> these problems. The government doesn't. Antitrust law gives governments more
> power than they should have. 
> 
> 
>   I am a self-employed consultant in the Free Software/Open Source 
> industry.  I am an extremely strong supporter of free market principles, 
> but unlike Raymond recognize that government protection is required to 
> protect these principles.  Being opposed to  antitrust laws in support of 
> free markets is like being opposed to laws against theft in support of 
> private property.  One simply cannot exist without the other.

Right, either support both copyright and patent law *with* anti-trust
law, or toss all government intervention out the window.  It is not
truely a free market with any kind of intervention.  Having one without
the other is unbalanced.

>   Rather than opposing anti-trust's protection of free markets, we should 
> begin to recognize the negative impact of the current government 
> intervention to subsidize special-interest big-business.  Government 
> support of laws such as the DMCA, which fundamentally oppose free markets 
> and stifle innovation in favor of outdated businesses and business models, are
> the core of the problem.  The problem is simply not the already 
> inadequate protection of fair competition in a post-Industrial economy.
> 
> ---
>  Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
>  See http://weblog.flora.org/ for announcements, activities, and opinions
>  "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise,
>   we don't believe in it at all." -- Noam Chomsky

	slainte mhath, RGB

-- 
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