[LINK] Aussie Drink or Die member handed to US on a plate

[Adam Todd]

"But Drink or Die's activities did cost American 
companies money ­ an estimated $US50 million 
($A60 million), if legal sales were substituted 
for illegal downloads undertaken through Drink or 
Die. It also raised the ire of US authorities. "

I think what they are saying is that if everyone 
who they think has a cracked copy were to buy the 
software, the manufacturers would have made about that much.

However, it's a known fact that most people (like 
my father, who has Telstra licenced software on 
his home computer) who have pirated copies, never 
buy legitimate copies of software.

So the "loss" of sales is a figment of someone's 
over zelous imagination that more money might be made.

Most people resort to shareware or freeware if 
they have to "buy" software and with an abundance 
of great software now in the "free" arena, monetary values are dropping.

Of course, as a defence attorney for this guy, 
I'd be asking them to bring before the court 
affidavits of every person who'd have paid to buy 
the software as an alternative to pirating a 
copy, as a witness to prove the losses.  But that's never going to happen.

Just like the "photocopy passport" in a trial in 
NSW SC recently, where the Judge never sited the 
original issued passport - anyone can make a 
photocopy!  But will someone prove that there is an original intent.

At 09:17 PM 11/05/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
>
>>http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/05/06/1178390140855.html
>>This is absolutely disgraceful.
>
>Yes, it is disgraceful.
>
>Wikipedia has an entry on Hew Raymond Griffiths, the man
>in question, here:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hew_Raymond_Griffiths
>
>Australia loses a little bit more of its sovereignty as we
>"harmonise" with the USA.
>
>Could any other country exert such influence on ours as
>to have a citizen extracted for reasons of IP?
>
>
>cheers
>rickw
>
>
>
>--
>_________________________________
>Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services
>
>The Bible teaches how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.
>      -- Galileo
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