Re: Iran, copyright, Matlab and Octave

[Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso]

On 10 April 2013 09:07, Andy Buckle <address@hidden> wrote:
> I would add that, even if it is not illegal in Iran to copy Matlab freely,
> it is still immoral.

I don't think so. Copying is not wrong. Copying is not theft:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU7axyrHWDQ

The Mathworks isn't actually losing anything by having Matlab being
copied. It's just not *gaining* anything monetarily, but they are
gaining mindshare. For this reason, most of the time TMW turns a blind
eye to the rampant copyright infringement. Some of the most benign
actions, such as taking a Matlab m-file, modifying it, and hosting it
along with your own Matlab package are actually copyright
infringement, but few would think this is immoral.

As long as everyone is using Matlab, TMW can still profit from it one
way or another, whether with license fees today outside Iran, or
license fees tomorrow when our Matlab-addicted Iranian student goes to
a country where copyright lawsuits are profitable.

Copying Matlab isn't any more wrong than copying Octave is. Just
because we don't try to guilt trip you into thinking copying Octave
isn't wrong, doesn't mean the action is any different than copying
Matlab. We would like you to pay for Octave as much as TMW wants you
to pay for Matlab, but we don't guilt trip you into doing so by
calling you names like "pirate" if you don't pay. Because really, we
aren't losing anything.

- Jordi G. H.