Reply #115: I am not a musician... software developer. [View All]

[merwin]

And all of the work I do that is not contracted by someone else I provide for free with donations.

The only way I would ever support charging for software is if you are either getting a support agreement or a physical disc, neither of which I want to provide on that level.

Even if I did charge for my software, I still see no issue with people copying and using it because I realize that the people who find value in it will pay. For example, I use the software MediaMonkey to manage my music. I illegally downloaded it for the first few months and liked it so much that I paid for a lifetime license to support development.

The current IP laws that exist are a complete joke and do nothing to protect the creator from illegal use. They have been written by lobbyists and exist to protect corporations and stifle competition.

If they were meant to protect the original creator, they would be much more limited in scope, have provisions limiting transfer and sale of the rights to holding companies, and apply for only long enough to ensure that the creator have time to bring the idea into reality and have a chance to make a profit... after which it moves into a reasonable royalty period then becomes public domain.

IP laws as they currently stand do nothing more than shut others out of the market and mke sure the corporations rake in the dough.