Re: (TFT) Open Source TFT --> DMCA

[Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

On Fri, 2005-07-08 at 09:17, Christopher Fuhrman wrote:
> .... You said that penalties are severe for copyright violation,
> but I had always thought it would come down to suing for lost
> revenues or in the best case, a cease-and-decist order. 

  That is how it used to be.  Violating copyright was a 
_civil_ matter, if you felt your copyright was violated 
you basically sued them for damages.

  Big Business in the USA has had the Digital Millennium
Copyright act passed which makes copyright infringement
a CRIMINAL offense.  Maximum penalties include 2 years
in a federal penitentiary and $500,000 fines.  With 
penalties doubling for each subsequent violation.  This
is far more than most violent crimes.

  These penalties are so horrendous that you better not
violate their copyright or you will go to prison for a
punishment greater than must muggers and rapists get.  
It is all to protect "Intellectual Property".

  Given that the Micky Mouse protection act means that 
copyright now lasts forever in the USA, it is very much
a downer as far as TFT goes.

  Having said that, no one has actually been awarded 
such a punishment.  I guess that they have not found a 
suitable scape goat yet.


  I would rather we get the rights to the real TFT for
the following reasons:

1)  I like 3 attributes and most of the rules the way it is.
2)  I like the chatty style of writing.  Also some of the
rules are very tightly written, any rewording will be more 
awkward than what we have now.
3)  It seems clear to me what is being discussed is a 
derivative work.
4)  Such penalties give me serious pause.

  Rick
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