Re: IP: Agenda for MS Remedies Workshop

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

I agree with you Jamie did not raise that as a major point at this meeting

At 04:46 PM 4/30/99 -0600, Brett Glass wrote:
>Dave:
>
>Jamie Love has some good points about the EU/IBM settlement. However, he goes overboard in that he not only advocates "open source" as a solution to the Microsoft problem but specifically espouses Richard Stallman's views: namely, that intellectual property is at best a bad idea and at worst fundamentally evil.
>
>To destroy software markets by making all software available for free -- or by taxing computer users to fund the creation of free software that competes with honest programmers (a practice which Stallman and Love both advocate) -- is throwing the baby out with the bath water. It is inappropriate to deprive all software authors of their livelihoods as the result of a single company's egregious business practices.
>
>--Brett Glass
>
>At 03:25 PM 4/30/99 -0400, Dave Farber wrote:
>>I just stopped in for a brief visit while I was in DC so what I will say is very unfair but what the h_ll.
>>
>>Jamie Love gave a very good talk focusing on the EU settlement with IBM as a model for dealing with such high technology antitrust issues. I am in awe at the EU understanding with respect to software and hardware.issues.
>>
>>Another talk I heard was much more disappointing. It was from a learned economist who did not understand the software business but had read re Open Source. He kept talking about Standards Bodies and notions of software as a bunch of carvable pieces you could mix and match at fee will.  He seemed to believe on could create software in a day and adapt to changes in a few hours. I am being a bit unfair but it worried me that it is possible that such folk will determine what happens if MS is either found guilty or settles.
>>
>>We need ver badly to organize education meetings where we try to make them understand our industry, else they will be like the farmer who gets sold the Brooklyn Bridge.
>>
>>Dave
>