shushanik Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 So, although I know he isn't Armenian, I was just wondering if you guys heard about Aaron Swartz and what your thoughts are on this situation... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/12/aaron-swartz_n_2463726.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanetsi Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 I think it shows that if you take on a powerful group, the prosecution can really take control of your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Taking the easy way out is rarely the right answer ... copying JSTOR articles was easy and he thought he was entitled to have them and to share them ... so he did it. Then things got tough and what did he do? Took the easy way out. It's sad but at the same time, he won't get much sympathy from me. If he thinks life is tough here for him and the US government was coming down on him, he should try living as a teenage girl in Pakistan or something for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shushanik Posted January 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm going to actually have to disagree with you Sir Buffet Connoisseeur. I personally don't think he took "the easy way out". JSTOR and MIT actually dropped the charges and didn't want to go through with the trial, but the government took it upon themselves to pursue it and make some ridiculous charges. I believe his reason for copying the articles was to allow for people who didn't have acces to them to be able to read it. Honestly, I don't see a criminal there. And 35 years in prison and a million dollar fine? A murderer or rapist doesn't get a sentence like that, and here they were tyring to throw away a person who is highly intelligent and who had good motives and put him in an institution with CRIMINALS. Murderers, robbers, rapists, and etc. Those are criminals. A person trying to create a database of free articles is being put into the same category as those people. I used to also believe that people who committed suicide were really just giving up and not really fighting to live... but each and every one of us are different.We're all nurtured in different environments and can only push so far. While a girl living in Pakistan probably isn't anything close to a sun valley plastic doll, everyone has their limits, But when you throw in depression you never know what could happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I really doubt he would have gotten anything more than a slap on the wrist ... maybe a few months in jail. If he killed himself after getting 35 years in jail, I'd say yah that is probably a good reason but we all know how the legal system in the US works As far as not being "criminal", JSTOR decided not to pursue things but still you can't just go around copying stuff that doesn't belong to you and post it for everyone else! The authors of those articles on JSTOR have signed them over to the publishers. The publishers have the legal rights in what they want to do with those works. Just because you have access yourself and you can read them doesn't necessarily mean you can just transfer things indefinitely to everyone else in the world. Perhaps there's is a discussion to be had about how copyright law is broken ... I probably won't argue with you much on that. But as is, it is in fact criminal to do what he did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zartonk Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Whatever the validity of his views, it's unfortunate that his stance cost him his life. Edited January 21, 2013 by Zartonk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 you guys are missing the point... intreated depression can kill... he did not commit suicide because of the time he was going to get in jail. he was suffering from depression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.