That's what we're talking about here. It's not even right or wrong it's a lack of jurisdiction.

Actually that's not at all what the parent post is saying. The parent post which was modded "5" as insightful, argues that anything that can be copied for no cost should have no value, regardless of the laws around it. My post addressed that argument, but, of course this being slashdot, got modded troll because god forbid anyone should disagree with the fucking geniuses on this site that think they know everything about economics and law, and believe that communications companies should be able to charge a service fee for distributing work created by artists who shouldn't get anything for their efforts. You people make me fucking sick.

I suppose laws are "just pretend" to you as well. So the law that says you can't speed should be unenforceable because your car is clearly capable of speeding. The law that says you can't undress in public should be unenforceable because your clothes are clearly designed to be removable. Opium, Cocaine, Cannabis, etc. being plants or derived from plants are "infinitely reproduceable" (just plant the seeds to grow more), therefore why should it have any value? The very idea that something so easy to do should be considered illegal, and therefore be made valuable is preposterous in your world view, but your world view is not really connected to reality, is it?

Just because you can easily reproduce information does not mean you should have the right to so so. Once you take away the right to reproduce the data, your entire argument collapses like the house of cards it is. Because, while information may be infinitely reproducable, does not make it valueless when the copies are illegal. In addition, many people feel that the creator of the work should be compensated, not the Comcasts and AT&Ts of the world that merely provide the medium for distribution.

It's not a flaw of the courts, it's a flaw of the legislature, which means it's a flaw of the people elected into office, which means it's a flaw of the electorate, for voting these people into office, which means, ultimately, its OUR fault.

Intellectual Property:

Function: noun
: property that derives from the work of the mind or intellect (as an idea, invention, trade secret, process, program, data, formula, patent, copyright, or trademark) ; also : an application, right, or registration relating to this "

--Merriam Webster.

To help you out even further, the word "property" means, "2 a : something that is or may be owned or possessed : WEALTH, GOODS; specifically : a piece of real estate b : the exclusive right to possess, enjoy, and dispose of a thing : a valuable right or interest primarily a source or element of wealth : OWNERSHIP c : something to which a person has a legal title : an estate in tangible assets (as lands, goods, money) or intangible rights (as copyrights, patents) in which or to which a person has a right protected by law"

--Merriam Webster

Are you still confused?

How is it the parent is modded insightful? Funny, maybe. Your finger slip?

Agreed. Once you create evidence like this, it would be illegal to destroy it if you are ever in an accident. If you are a careful driver, then it makes sense to create this kind of record, since if you're in an accident, it probably won't be your fault. But it is a double edge sword. If you make a mistake like run a stop sign, having a video like this can only work against you. (Of course, if you're honest you should accept the responsibility from your mistake anyway.)

Never, because all the "discussion" is being done in a gigantic echo chamber that makes it get louder and louder, with no dissenting voices (this posting being a prime example as I am sure it will not be modded up due to my contrarian attitude on patents). Once the discussion does escape the "tech echo chamber" people realize how ludicrous the idea that patents are bad for society is. Patents are proven to be beneficial to society. Its in the Constitution for a reason. Read about it.

...5 GB per month.

Wow that is tiny bandwidth. Less than 2 bytes a second, according to my calculations. How long does slashdot take to load where you live?

I dunno. If someone steals my money, it can be replaced by the bank whose security system failed. If someone steals my secrets, there is no remedy.

it's also Not A Viable Option. Really, they should call it "WINAVO"

I also believe software patents should be limited to a term of 3 years, and some could make me a convincing argument even that is too long. Right now, software patents are nothing but a hindrance to the market and a leach to the hard work of others. How many companies have been pushed away from OSS because of litigious bastards?

I can see you neither work for a start up company or have ever talked with a venture capitalist.

On the other hand, the convenience factor of just paying $0.99 or $1.99 for the apps I want and instantly downloading them far outweighs any concerns over lack of "freedom."

Yup. There's a reason "ice" is slang for "diamond." It feels cold because it disperses your body heat through it very rapidly. Its an excellent heat conductor.

Right on. I don't understand why it has to be one or the other. I don't mind the Ribbon, but it bothers me that it is not user-configurable, like the toolbars. Why can't I stick a custom button icon there tied to a macro? Yes, MS does provide a custom "Quick Access" toolbar, but it is a far cry from the highly configurable tool bars that came with Office 2003.

Whatever else OOo does, if they simply let the user decide what interface they want, or maybe even allow (gasp!) a combination of the two, then they have made a huge improvement over Office, which crams' MS's choice down everyone's throats.