[ Thanks to Maarten Vanheuverswyn
for this link. ]
“This article deals with computer software. That may sound a bit
abstract to some of our readers, but it is a subject that is
relevant to everybody who uses a computer, for example to read this
very article. You should care about the way the computer industry
functions today and the way it imposes severe restrictions on us
since you may one day no longer be allowed to listen to your MP3’s
or read your Microsoft Word documents. You may think you will be
able to continue these simple tasks forever because you believe you
actually own and control most of what is stored on your computer.
However, according to big business that is not the case.“Not only do you not own that copy of Microsoft Word, that video
game, or even that MP3 player, but like most people using
commercial software (be it pirated or paid for in a shop), you also
don’t own any other way of accessing your information…”