>If I produce or collect information that could be of use to others,
>don't I have the right to charge something for it?
It is assumed that if people can't make money off their intellectual
efforts, they won't bother. That assumption is the basis for copyrights
and patents, and obviously can be questioned. Does anybody have data on
what happened to intellectual creation in communist states?
I agree that in an ideal world information should indeed be freely shared.
In our world, however, if a composer / writer / artist needed to work at
McDonald's to make a living, would (s)he even have time to create?
Does fame and the gratitude of others suffice? Most people only offer for
free what they can afford, after expenses such as rent and food have been
taken care of.
Of course, sometimes this property stuff is taken to an extreme. Even the
scientific and mathematical communities don't share information as much as
they should, in order to promote the growth of knowledge.
lena (freely offering her valueless thoughts on this matter)
-- Lena Rotenberg lrr@netkonnect.net