Grand Theft Art: The Problem With Open Source Mentality
Open Source Software is undoubtedly one of the most important and revolutionary things to happen to computers. With the likes of Linux and the various flavours of BSD, not only is software free to use, modify and redistribute, but entire operating systems are developed in this way as well. People are no longer locked into running their computers in ways that giant corporations dictate. You’re free to use your computer the way you want to without worrying about the repercussions of legal action.
As a long time Linux user, I support Open Source and think that it only brings good things to the computer industry but at the same time it raises some problems. The one that has never sat right with me is that Open Source tends to give its users the mentality that since none of the software or the operating system they’re using it on are intellectual property, it allows them to take what they want without so much as considering licensing and copyrights.
Gnome-Look and its sister sites are prime examples of this. These sites are chock full of themes, skins, wallpapers, etc. consisting of illegally re-licensed “art”. People use pictures of celebrities, products and logos, brand them with whatever flavour of Linux, BSD or desktop environment they use then claim it as their own. I’ve been flamed many times for bringing up this issue and people act like I’m the one with the problem. This isn’t really a matter of legality (in some instances it should be) but more a matter of right and wrong.
As an artist, photographer and developer, I expect that people respect how I release my work and under what licenses. It’s one thing to take a Creative Commons licensed work and modify it then re-release it. This usually isn’t a problem as long as you re-release it under the same license. It’s another to take the work of a photographer or artist whose work is copyrighted, modify it, brand it, then re-release it under an entirely different license. This is not flattery, this is theft.
I’m sure that this problem carries over to many other areas of computing but it’s my opinion that Open Source Software creates a negative mentality when put in the minds of people who piss all over copyrights and proprietary works.
March 23, 2008 - early afternoon
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