the price of copyright violation.txt

1000 HOWTOs for various needs [WINDOWS]

 meter that  I'm not  sure I even caused.  I paid it, and a few weeks later
 CG&E re-instituted the charges, saying the person who agreed to  drop them
 didn't have the authority.

     Since the  utility companies have recently pushed through a law (which
 I doubt that many know about) that makes it a  felony to  do anything aga-
 inst them,  I was charged with a felony.  I was encouraged to plead guilty
 to a lesser charge, and was put on one year probation.   And then  my wife
 left me, stating that she had enough of being poor, and later divorced me.
 Maybe she is better off.  Life like this is tough.

     So after a few  months I  had enough  of the  pills I  was taking, and
 threw them  in the  garbage.   I now  partially understand  how my mother,
 after graduating  with honors  at the  top of  her class  took 30 sleeping
 pills and killed herself.  When I was younger, I would never have believed
 it could get this  bad.   As I  think about  it though,  I guess  it makes
 sense.   If you don't have the burning desire to accomplish much, you face
 very little disappointment.

     For the next two or three years I could not function.  I'd sit  on the
 couch crying  sometime, in  a daze sometime, thinking a lot, and trying to
 function off, and on.  And I wasn't  a very  good provider  for my family.
 We would be on welfare, then I would do a little job, then we were back on
 welfare, etc.  Somewhere in there  I  bough  a  small  game  computer, and
 learned how to push it beyond its limits.  I thought games were a waste of
 time, so when I heard a company was  coming out  with a  device that plugs
 into the  slot on  the computer  meant for game, but would allow me to run
 word processors, spreadsheets, etc I checked into it.  I  found the device
 needed a  set of two computer chips from a MacIntosh computer, so I called
 around, and ended up borrowing some money, and  buying about  a dozen from
 different places.  I figured since the supply seemed low, I could sell the
 remainder at a little markup.  Later I  ran an  ad on  a computer bulletin
 board, that  I had  some chips for sale, and if anyone was interested they
 could leave me a message.  I received over 300 requests for the chips.

     Then I started thinking.  I knew I  could copy  the chips  for my fri-
 ends, and  myself.   That way I could sell the rest of the chips I had and
 make a few dollars.  So I bought some blank  chips, copied  the chips, and
 sold the  ones I'd  bought.   After a while everyone, I hadn't shipped to,
 was calling to find out why I didn't ship them  any.   I told  them that I
 only had  purchased a dozen sets, and they were all gone.  So I decided to
 order some more chips, copy them, and send everyone a set.

     This continued until I had orders coming in  faster than  I could make
 them.   At this point I started wondering about the legal problems I might
 get myself into, so I contacted  from  5  to  10  attorneys  (including my
 present attorney)  to find  out what  could happen.  Some said they didn't
 know for sure, and  others said  I could  be sued  by Apple  for copyright
 infringement.  Not one ever mentioned anything about criminal prosecution,
 even though I told them exactly  what I  was doing.   One  of the investi-
 gators recently  told me,  I should have known it was a criminal violation
 to do what I was doing, because there are many indications in life that it
 is a  criminal offence,  like the  notice on video tapes.  I told him that
 there is so much false propaganda in society that I  felt the  only way to
 find out for sure was to check with the people who should know.  I guess I
 learned something there.

    A year and a half ago, I was asked by the company who made  the device,
 which my  chips plugged  into, to  show people how it worked at a computer
 show in Chicago.  At that show, about five business men came up to  me and
 asked me  where you  get the  chips to  make the device work.  I told them
 that they could order them from me.  At that  point they  informed me that
 two of  them were attorneys, and the other three were from Apple Computer.
 Since they didn't seem  upset, and  seemed only  curious how  a cheap game
 computer could  run software created to run on a MacIntosh, I assumed they
 didn't really object.  If they had ever even implied  that they  wanted me
 to quit,  I would have done so.  I had already made more money than I ever
 expected too.  It also seemed  in line  with Apples  normal policy.   They
 encouraged  schools  to  use  MacIntosh software by selling MacIntosh com-
 puters to the schools at almost cost.  They have many times published that
 students would  get used  to using Mac software, and then recommend MacIn-
 tosh computers when they got into  the business  force.   Allowing kids to
 use game computers accomplishes the same.  It's curious that when everyone
 is questioned about a victim of my crime, they really  can't find  one, so
 they dance  around the  question.  In reality I doubt that there is a vic-
 tim.  The users are happy they have access to information they wouldn't be
 able to afford.  And in more ways than one it is boosting Mac sales.

     In fact  I had a policeman from New York who bought a set of ROMs from
 me to use in his sons computer, and later showed it to  his department who
 ended up  buying hundreds  of thousands of dollars worth of MacIntosh com-
 puters for their department.  I had another  person buy  a set  for one of
 his children's  computer.  He kept them for four months, and called me one
 day to ask if he could return them and get some money back.   When I asked
 him why,  he informed  me he was a doctor, and had went out and spent over
 $10,000.00 on a top of the  line Mac  IIci.   I told  him to  send his ROM
 chips back, and I would give him all his money back.  And these are only a
 few that I know of.  Until I was charged, I had sold over 5,000.00 sets of
 ROMs to  every kind  of person from the US Treasury Dept, and the Veterans
 Administration to school kids  who were  using their  game computer  to do
 their homework.  But I doubt that many people who can really afford to buy
 a MacIntosh computer are  going to  buy a  game computer  with all  of its
 problems.

     It was  funny though,  when I  was asked  what the US government could
 possibly be using the ROMs for, as if  they never  would skirt  around the
 law.   I don't  mean to  pick on  government workers, but even though they
 may not want to admit it they are just like the rest of us.   Getting what
 they can  for as little as they can, and trying to do the best they can in
 a situation where the cards are stacked against  them.   I know  they have
 been cutting the budget, but I believe the government can afford something
 besides a $300.00 game computer.  It won't ever be  public, but  I think I
 know what  really happened.  Some people working for the government wanted
 to play with one, and just got the government to pay for it, and since the
 FBI knows  about it,  he probably  is already in trouble.  See they are as
 bad, and sometimes worse than the  rest of  us.   It makes  you wonder how
 many other  personal toys,  the public  is paying for.  Mentioning this is
 not an attempt to point the finger, and say they do it  too.........  Well
 on second  thought maybe  it was,  otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it.
 But, I am still guilty of making them.  Without me they would have probab-
 ly had a friend copy the program into an EPROM or something.  In fact from
 what I have counted, only about  a forth  of the  people have  been buying
 ROMs like  the ones  I made.   Most  people in the computer world probably
 either make them themselves, since it is so simple, or  get a  copy of the
 program on a computer disc, which is even easier.

     All this  may sound like Greek to a person who doesn't spend much time
 with computers, but swapping computer programs,  is the  norm in  the com-
 puter world.  To date, I've never met a person who wouldn't ask for a copy
 of a program I had, or more often agree to swap a copy of a program he had
 for one  I had.  There are many hundreds of computer boards around the US,
 and other countries, who offer a 5 or 8 to one exchange.   Of  course they
 are all  copyrighted, and  anytime you  copy one you are breaking the law,
 but given the option to do without or pay the  $200 to  $20,000.00 or more
 for a  program they  aren't really  going to  use in  business, they would
 probably do without.  For most it's really  more like  collecting baseball
 cards,  since  very  few,  I  talk  to,  ever  seem to know much about the
 programs they already have.   It  takes much  effort, and  most people are
 lazy when  it comes  to using their brains to learn something new, or just
 don't have the time.  It's the few that do, that go on to  become the whiz
 kids of  the future.   If  they don't have access to the information, this
 country is doomed.

     Try to compare it to going to the public library  in which  almost all
 books are  copyrighted.   Now try to find a floor of the library without a
 copier.  What's that copier for.   Now,  and in  the future  more and more
 data is being put on computer discs.  In the distant future the library as
 it is today will probably disappear.   Can  you imagine  what it  would be
 like if you as an attorney, or a student had to buy every book you used at
 the library.  I understand that there is a law that says you can  now copy
 part of  a book  but not  the whole book, but there is no way you can copy
 part of a computer disc, and  be able  to use  it.   Or to  really compare
 apples and  apples, attorneys  and many other professionals are using what
 they copy to make  money, so  you could  say they  should have  to buy the
 book.   Well, in  reality if they find they use it a lot, they usually do.
 And in the computer world, if they use a program a lot,  they also usually
 do.   It's so much nicer to have the support of the author of the program,
 and be able to call them and get help by giving them  your buyers' author-
 ization number off the box, when you need help.

     And if  you know  very little  about computers, what I did was sort of
 like providing the viewer to look at these programs.  And if  you have the
 viewer, you look at MacIntosh programs, and if you find a use for them you
 buy them, and Apple, and their  developers therefore  make money.   And if
 they have a real use for the programs, they usually get discouraged by the
 problems of the game computer, and you go  out and  buy a  real MacIntosh,
 which makes Apple even more money.

      I still  can't understand  why, if it is now the business of the FBI,
 to stop  the pirating  of software,  why do  they know  about these pirate
 boards, and  not stop  them.   And I can guarantee they know about many of
 them.  From watching, and talking to them it seems  it's only  against the
 law if  you make  money doing it.  That's cute, you can supposedly cheat a
 company out of all  the money  you want,  but if  you make  too much money
 doing it,  the FBI is going to take it away, put you in jail, and not give
 a cent  to the  people who  have been  ripped off.   There  are some other
 things they  have done,  in my case, which I wont mention because it might
 hurt people needlessly, which also let me know this is true.   Also, in my
 case they  say they are not even sure Apple lost any money.  I think I may
 have figured out the amount too.   I  watched an  agent get  chewed out in
 front of me for telling his boss that I had a million dollars, when I only
 had less than a $400,000.00.  It seemed  he was  irritated that  they came
 after me  before I  made enough  money for  them.   Which was  also in bad
 taste.  He could have waited until I wasn't around.  I actually felt sorry
 for the guy.

     Contrary to  what Apple might try to say, real businesses aren't going
 to buy game computers to use, and the  game computer  doesn't run  all the
 software, or  have color,  anyway.  I also doubt that many of these mostly
 kids who are using game computers could afford the over $3000.00 price for
 a Mac.  And the idea as was mentioned by Apple's attorneys that they would
 worry about repair of the bad chips they might get  back, is  also ridicu-
 lous since  they admitted the part only cost them $1.00, and if every chip
 I ever sold failed they could  replace them  all for  less than $5,000.00.
 To date I've only had about a dozen people call and say their chips didn't
 work, and I just sent them a new  one.   In reality,  when I  checked them
 most of them weren't really bad at all.  They must have been plugging them
 in wrong or something.  It's very rare for a chip that has no moving parts
 to ever go bad.

     I admire IBM who when Compact Computer Company did exactly what I did,
 by copying the chips from IBM's MS DOS PC computer,  told Compact Computer
 they didn't  care, and that they felt it would help MS DOS computer sales.
 And I guess it worked.  Today MS DOS computer sales count for over  60% of
 all 'S  computer sales.   I'm  curious what would have happened if IBM had
 taken the position of Apple computer.  I wonder if they would have charged
 the  owners  of  that  large  corporation with something, and then tack on
 charges that carries 26 years in jail.  I doubt it.

     Another interesting thing is that the  copyright, that  I'm accused of
 violating, is  presently in litigation in California.  And the ROM chips I
 was selling aren't even for sale anymore, by Apple.   If you  own a MacIn-
 tosh computer,  and have  a chip go bad, tough luck, it's out of warranty,
 and you go out  and plunk  down another  $3000.00 for  another one.   They
 probably  won't  admit  this,  but  I've  sold quite a few hundred sets to
 repair centers for Apple, who say they can't  get them  from Apple anymore
 at any  cost.   As for the litigation I mentioned, it seems everyone is in
 litigation.  IBM has encouraged Microsoft  Corporation and  Hewlet Packard
 Corporation to  make a  program that  works like  the MacIntosh ROMs to be
 used in the IBM MS DOS computer, so Apple is suing them.  This  upset many
 people, including  Apple Records who is now suing Apple Computer for using
 their name  and going  into the  music business  without their permission.