In response to the comment thread on this article at Macworld:
Intellectual property is bunk. There is only one type of property and
that is physical property. Copyright laws should only serve to (a)
prevent people from claiming content you created as their own, and (b)
modify content you created and attribute the modified version to you.
If you want to make money, make a physical product and sell it. What
people do with that product after you have sold it is none of your
business - they have bought it, it's theirs. The benefits to owning a
bona fide physical piece of software or recorded media include (but are
not limited to):
- DOA protection. If it arrives broken, the supplier will give you a new one.
- Added value. Ownership of a genuine article may give you access to additional goods or services.
- Warranty. If your physical item conks out after a certain amount of time, it may be repaired or replaced.
- Support service. If you have trouble with your item, there may be a support structure to help you make it work.
Suppliers
are under no obligation to provide any of the above benefits to
possessors of copied or re-sold material. I say it again: the only
property is physical property, and if you want to make money off it,
make owning a genuine copy worth people's money. People will then make
their own choice about whether they want to buy your product or not.