[d@DCC] Response to Globe Article on unauthorized downloading

[Sydney Weidman]

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050808.wsoft0908/BNStory/Technology/

Your article on the downloading habits of Canadian students shows an
astounding level of credulity and misunderstanding. Furthermore it fails
to provide your readers with enough information upon which they might
make an informed judgement.

Let me first say that unauthorized use of copyrighted material is a
significant problem. Sharing should not take place against the will of
copyright holders. But not all creators are against the sharing of their
material. CAAST wants students to fear downloading and sharing as if it
were all illegal. They wish to instill that fear because the business
models of CAAST members such as Microsoft depend upon government
enforced monopolies against sharing. Though completely ignored in your
article, many innovators are turning to sharing and collaboration rather
than exclusion and legal threats to build new works. The Free Software
movement falls into this category. Its proponents share ideas freely,
charging only for their time and expertise in the same way that doctors,
lawyers, and engineers do. This is a completely viable business model
practised by thousands of independent innovators in Canada. But their
stories are not being told because there are simply too many stories to
tell -- it's easier for media outlets like the Globe to focus on
centralized monopolies like Microsoft. In any case, it is clearly not
illegal for students to download, use, copy, modify, share,
redistribute, and even *sell* Free Software such as Linux or OpenOffice.
Sharing is a natural part of culture, and a virtue which binds our
communities together. Any institution or commercial entity which forbids
or hampers sharing should be eschewed where alternatives exist. We
should promote and strengthen institutions such as the Free Software
movement which promote sharing.

Secondly, you fail to point out that plagiarism is completely different
from unauthorized downloading. In one case, you are impersonating
someone else, or representing their work as your own. This is not what
students are doing when they are downloading software. But your article
gives no insight as to the phrasing of the specific questions that were
asked, nor how the sample group was chosen.