[Fsfe-uk] Re: Patented videoshop opens in Wales

[Laura Creighton]

The argument that works for me:

1. all computer files are stored in some format on your disk.

2.  I have a lot of stocks.  Lots of people write up on the companies
I am invested in.  I do not have time to read these long reports,
financial year end reports and the like.  There are too many of them.
So I wrote a script that reads the reports in, and looks for
phrases that I am interested in.  this program reads ms word
files.  there is no way that stock analysts, who want to get
their studies read by people like me want me to have to have a
MS license to have to read their words.  From their point of
view, they are making words and giving or selling them to me
for my use.  even if they used MS word to write them.

Laura


In a message of Fri, 05 Dec 2003 19:55:52 GMT, Kevin Donnelly writes:
>On Friday 05 December 2003 6:14 pm, Marco Schulze wrote:
>> The propriatery formats are pushed into the market by powerful
>> monopolists. They establish a "secret language" and exclude everyone
>> they want. That's creating a monopoly on information itself as they can
>> decide who is allowed to read/write!
>
>Yes, I understand this point (though you could argue that Sperry-Rand did
> not 
>compel anyone to use gifs, and Fraunhofer had a format without a market u
>ntil 
>around 1998), but I'm just trying to get a handle on how best to put the 
>argument where formats are concerned.
>
>I have put the above argument to people, and it's just too vague.  The us
>ual 
>response I get is that people spent time and money to develop these forma
>ts, 
>they're (currently) allowing users to use them for free, so what's the 
>problem? 
>
>Can someone summarise the pithy points here?  Ideally in terms that will 
>make 
>the man in the street think about his pocket.  
>
>I tend to think the real nub is not the formats themselves, or who owns t
>hem, 
>or what their motives are/may be, but the proposed prohibition on 
>reverse-engineering something similar that produces the same result, lead
>ing 
>to decreased competition, leading to less choice and higher prices.  For 
>example, suppose someone had patented the idea of cars having 4 wheels, f
>or 
>instance - most of us would be going around in 3 or 6 wheelers (cars are 
>a 
>good analogue, because most people have one - see also 
>http://www.kyfieithu.co.uk/item.php?lg=en&item_id=32).
>
>This suggests that the page should be changed to make it clear that it is
> not 
>the formats themselves, but the possibility of being forced to use them a
>nd 
>only them that is the key objection.  However, I may be barking up the wr
>ong 
>tree here, so I would welcome comments.
>
>-- 
>
>Best wishes
>
>Kevin Donnelly
>
>www.kyfieithu.co.uk - Meddalwedd Rydd yn Gymraeg
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