As someone who actually writes books, I have to come down firmly on the side of IP rights. A couple of people have argued that information is overpriced; I would suggest that they try sinking in the man-hours it takes to write a book. Given royalty rates in the oh-so-profitable world of tabletop gaming, I typically wind up making about a third of what I'd make working at McDonald's on a per-hour basis.
That's assuming people actually buy the book, rather than downloading it. If you don't like my writing, that's fine; don't read it. Please, though, don't declare that it's good enough to download for free, but not good enough to buy. And please, please, PLEASE, don't try to tell me that you're doing me a favor by doing so because "It raises awareness of the product."
point being a net forum about childish games is no place for legal debate.
the internet is for bitching about movies and looking at crazy sex stuff you will never see irl.
Normally I would find it a bit insulting that RPGs be considered childish games, but considering the particular sub-forum we're posting in right now, I'm not too troubled about it.
As for what the internet is for... well it WAS born as a military communications system, but nowadays it's just the best place to leech pr0n.
that military net was just the shell for the creature inside...
the game is labeled for ages 8 and up if i recall correctly... i'll not comment on being in my mid thirties...
i wont rant on IP rights.. i will just repeat a commonly used misconception... with rights comes responsibilities... the right of ip balanced against the responsibility of quality.
i minor rant on IP...
[spoiler]so, joe mcauther gives his manuscript to his publisher, his publisher likes it and prints it. it goes to the distributor and to the book stores.. joe recieves a few copies of the final product.. keeps some, gives some to his peeps.. the publisher sends a few copies to reviewers, and maybe to his mother who likes joes work...
joe and the publisher have ripped off the retailers who are actually trying to sell the product.. joe has been paid.. the publisher has also.. and the distributor.. the only group unpaid is the retailer who have to mark up the price incase joe has lost his touch and they cant sell the books... its the risk of retail...
joe gave one of the copies to his newphew bill... bill isnt a big fan of joes work... bill takes the book to the flea market and sells the unopened hot off the presses book two weeks before it hits the retailers for a dollar..
now, bill and joe had no agreement in place about that situation coming up... for all joe knows bill loves his books.. and its not harry potter anyway... just dime store detectives or something..
bill made the buck the retailer who paid a distributor who paid the publisher who paid the author was trying to make.. but bill has commited no crime.. he just made a buck off some one elses labor and ip and even off of someone elses money..
now, bill has a neighbor bob, bob likes joes work, but bob works him self at McJob and cant afford the cover price of a new book.. retail.. and bob didnt know bill had the hook up with joe.. so joe having a free internet connection thanks to the city he lives in providing wifi... he downloads joes book, on pdf... the thought police are onto bob.. he has gotten onto there radar.. they swoop in, kick in his door, trash his house looking for evidence and seize his pc and the psp he got for xmas.. and arrest him. they go to trial , months of legal fees, bob has a job so he dosnt get a public defender.. he has to out of pocket it.. guilty say his 'peers' and time served says the judge plus damages.. how many digits in damages? more than the buck bill got for the copy he sold..
so after all is said and done..
joe get paid to write a book, he gave unpaid for copies away for free.
the publisher got paid to print a book, and gave unpaid for copies away for free.
the distributor got paid to supply a book
the retailer marked the price of the book up several hundred percent and tried like hell to sell the book..
bill got a legal free copy of the book, and made a legal buck off it..
bob got an illegal e-copy of the book (no tree's were hurt by bobs copy) and paid thousands of dollars he didnt have in legal fees and fines and has a criminal record just so he could read a book that he could have also read for free via his local library...
yip, its over stated and slightly unrealistic. but, its how the thing works..
[/spoiler]
copyright is about the 'right' to profit from you work.. hail hail hallelujah.. im down with that.. but..
when we move away from profits. when no one is making any money. then thats a different ball game.
also, what do you write? / have you written? lemme see.. please..