Eat this, you cheap pirates!

[Switch]

Meet WIPO. A world wide organization of countries which have joined this organization to help implement proper copyrights.
To all those who say that their country doesn't have copyright laws and so they can legally d/l warez, first check here, find the proper file (under about), and see if your country is in the list. If it is...then search Google for information about the Berne Convention, which is one of the foundations of wipo. You will truly see that you are thusly illegal in breaking copyright.

I also point you to a specific article in the treaty:

Article 4
Computer Programs

Computer programs are protected as literary works within the meaning of Article 2 of the Berne Convention. Such protection applies to computer programs, whatever may be the mode or form of their expression.

Now, I'm assuming that most people here are in a listed country...many small African countries and many of the -stans are. Even Iraq. So don't any of you give crap about "Our country has no copyright laws...it's legal here." You're most probably lying!

[mrboo123]

Well, better tell my sis...

[General Ludd]

I've never heard anyone deny that it's illegal to download warez. (except maybe for abandonwarez)


Do you think that this means anything to software pirates?

[Main_Brain]

I'm shocked.

[FrustratedPoet]

Does anybody here ever claim that there country has no copyright laws?

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Eat this, you cheap pirates!

Article 4

The protection of this Convention shall apply, even if the conditions of Article 3 are not fulfilled, to:

* (a) authors of cinematographic works the maker of which has his headquarters or habitual residence in one of the countries of the Union;
* (b) authors of works of architecture, erected in a country of the Union or of other artistic works incorporated in a building or other structure located in a country of the Union.

This is the Berne Convention. I have no idea where you got your Article 4 from.

[chequita guevara]

More importantly, who carez if warez iz a sick bird.

[KrazyHorse]

Next you'll tell me that smoking pot is illegal.

[Zero]

Looks like Taiwan, South Korea and North Korea is not on the list...

EDIT: NM, its under republic of korea.

[Urban Ranger]

I just can't see how software can be copyrighted, programs aren't artistic expressions.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I just can't see how software can be copyrighted, programs aren't artistic expressions.

Intellectual property. Plenty of books out there aren't artistic expressions, but they are certainly copywrited (or should it be copywritten? )

[Urban Ranger]

Some books are stretching it, but still, everybody has a unique way of conveying thoughts and information, so they can be "artistic," I suppose.

Now there's absolutely no way you can say the same thing about programs. Intellectual property is a very contraversial subject right now, even if I concede the point that IP needs some form of protection as an incentive, it is still insane to put programs under copyright - what, 90 years of monopoly? That's mad. A new form is needed, perhaps to be ironed out under the WTO.

[Skanky Burns]

90 years is extreme, but software still needs to be protected.

[Inverse Icarus]

j00 cannot stop teh warez. keep trying.

everything done so far to stop piracy has been overcome.

the only effective way to effectively monitor piracy is to install some internet-based security system whenever an app is activated, logging IP / serial # / etc, and i cant wait for someone to try that, watch the privacy lawsuits fly up.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Some books are stretching it, but still, everybody has a unique way of conveying thoughts and information, so they can be "artistic," I suppose.

Now there's absolutely no way you can say the same thing about programs.

You've really lived in China too long.

Software programs can be copyrighted in the same way that music, books, and art can. It's the act of creation, and it's simply not fair for you to spend all of your time working on software trying to sell it as some kind of non-tangible product (like music, etc) only to have everyone legally freeload off of it for free because they've got comfy jobs making $10K a year as lackey sysadmins and don't need a job as a software engineer.

Copyrights exist for computer software, as they should. If you don't like it, don't use programs that use it. Nobody is forcing you to copyright your programs or use copyrighted programs.

Your argument is absurd...