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Last night, I read the story of two men with a group called Pirates With Attitude (“PWA”). The Feds (as opposed to the “Overly Feds,” which describes me) claimed that the PWA folks were hacking software to take of the copy protection and thus allowed anyone on the Internet to download the software for free. This was premium software. PWA thought that because they did not charge for the downloads, they shouldn’t be prosecuted of theft. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed. They stole, they got caught and now they go to jail.
It got me thinking of a novel idea for the protection of inventor’s rights in Magic. I don’t know why this idea hasn’t been suggested before ? perhaps because it is either too obvious or unworkable. We, as magic-consumers, and we, as magic dealers/manufacturers, could be honest about what we are buying.
You probably live in a much better neighborhood than me so you might not be familiar with the guy that drives around in a van, pulls up a long side of you as you walk down the street, and offers to sell you great stereo equipment for rock bottom prices. I was offered a system that cost over $2,500.00 in the stores for $200.00 a while back. I didn’t have the money on me as I walked down the street in my bad neighborhood (near a major university) and I would like to think that even if I had $200.00, I wouldn’t have bought the gear.
“Where’d you get it?” I asked the salesperson who looked nervous and self-assured at the same moment.
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering,” I responded.
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Continue reading The Solution to the Knock-Off Problem
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