Re: [Fractdev] extras: all_maps, frmtut, if_else, phctutor
Richard, - Good point, but there's a question about whether or not the par file - constitutes a "work" I suppose. Well, since I can establish a direct relationship between the PAR data and the image it produces, I think a relatively convincing argument could be made that using PAR data without permission would constitute copyright infringement. I think our current copyright regime in the US is ridiculous. Copyright is a trade-off: a temporary monopoly given to creative people in exchange for eventual release into the public domain. They get to profit from their creativity for a while, to encourage them to be creative, and then society eventually gets to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The problem is copyright duration is now ridiculously long, and posthumously granting copyright extensions does nothing but enrich some already-rich corporations at the expense of society. All because Disney is afraid Mickey Mouse might enter the public domain, and Congress is happy to go along with it. And the Supreme Court basically avoided the issue, much to Lessig's disappointment. I believe copyright is a valid principle, but terms should be shorter, more like 17 years or so. Enough time to make money, but not so long as to rob the public domain. I believe in fair use, so I oppose DRM in all forms: the computer can't decide what's fair or not, so DRM will always choose badly in some cases. (And it only takes one allowed use to get the DRM stripped out, making the game pointless anyway.) I don't want a machine guessing whether I have the right to copy something; I want messy, legal processes that mean it has to be worth it to somebody to make an issue over it. Oh well, this is only *one* way in which our world is screwed up. It's certainly not the most important. :-) --Damien
When there's an actual case of infringement, the details matter more than general principles. There was one case I helped with about ten years ago that involved six or seven of the most active fractal artists, some of whom are still on this list. A book author subcontracted with an "artist" (who proclaimed himself incredibly brilliant and gifted) for material for the book CD (I believe the book author was innocent of any wrong doing). The only thing the plagiarist did to cover his tracks was change the names of the fractals. He didn't even change the order of the fractals as they were in the various artist's collections. The images were identical to the last pixel. He didn't even bother to rotate colors, zoom slightly, or tweak any parameters. He was not only dishonest he was lazy. The publisher settled and paid the artists a thousand dollars or so each, and I participated in the settlement. The thief just folded his business and disappeared and never paid a dime that I am aware of. How do I feel about it? Even though the offense was egregious, I can't say I felt good afterwards about having nailed the publisher, who after all was innocent. Some of the artists I helped I never heard from again. On balance, if I was in the same situation again I'd just let the artists fight (or not fight) their own battles. There are never really winners in legal battles, at least in my limited experience. Tim
Hi Tim, You have heard from me more than once since then :-} IMO, copyright law has not evolved to deal well with digital media. Ron Barnett -----Original Message----- From: fractint-bounces+fractals=hiddendimension.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:fractint-bounces+fractals=hiddendimension.com@mailman.xmission.c om]On Behalf Of Tim Wegner Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 6:55 PM To: Fractint and General Fractals Discussion Subject: Re: [Fractint] Re: [Fractdev] extras: all_maps, frmtut, if_else,phctutor When there's an actual case of infringement, the details matter more than general principles. There was one case I helped with about ten years ago that involved six or seven of the most active fractal artists, some of whom are still on this list. A book author subcontracted with an "artist" (who proclaimed himself incredibly brilliant and gifted) for material for the book CD (I believe the book author was innocent of any wrong doing). The only thing the plagiarist did to cover his tracks was change the names of the fractals. He didn't even change the order of the fractals as they were in the various artist's collections. The images were identical to the last pixel. He didn't even bother to rotate colors, zoom slightly, or tweak any parameters. He was not only dishonest he was lazy. The publisher settled and paid the artists a thousand dollars or so each, and I participated in the settlement. The thief just folded his business and disappeared and never paid a dime that I am aware of. How do I feel about it? Even though the offense was egregious, I can't say I felt good afterwards about having nailed the publisher, who after all was innocent. Some of the artists I helped I never heard from again. On balance, if I was in the same situation again I'd just let the artists fight (or not fight) their own battles. There are never really winners in legal battles, at least in my limited experience. Tim _______________________________________________ Fractint mailing list Fractint@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fractint
participants (3)
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dmj＠fractalus.com -
Ron Barnett -
Tim Wegner