[Leaplist] Patent reform vs terminating Intellectual Property laws [was Re: FYI, evidence of realities of IP]

[Bill Anderson]

On Tuesday 23 January 2007 12:42, Fred Moore wrote:
> On Tuesday 23 January 2007 14:27, Steve Litt wrote:
> > On Tuesday 23 January 2007 11:42, Scott Moe wrote:
> > > --- Bill Anderson <bill at noreboots.com> wrote:

> > > > Copying is not stealing under any rational
> > > > definition. Copyright infringement
> > > > it may be (depending on situation), but stealing it
> > > > is not. To steal means to
> > > > take something that belongs to someone. If I look
> > > > over our shoulder on an
> > > > exam in class and copy your answers, what have I
> > > > *taken* from you? Nothing.
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> > >
> > > That is actually a very good example.  Copying off
> > > someones exam is totally unethical, indefensible, and
> > > could cast suspicion on a good student, but it is not
> > > stealing.
> >
> > Unless, of course, the test is graded on the curve.
>
> I would have to think about that.. lets see if you knew in advance what
> everyone elses score would be and you knew exactly how many you had missed
> then I guess it could be argued that the person who copied from you stole
> part of your grade.. but then on the other hand..  if the scores were
>
> 60,70,80,90,100 then the average would be 80
>
> now lets put him in.. if he was going to fail with lets say 50 then the
> average would be 66 and you would be on the plus side of the bell
>
> but if he copied your paper and you were the one that got the 80 then the
> average would have been again 80 your score did not change only the curve..
> so now you were exactly on the peak..
>
> So if we took a bell that linear bell we could say 60 --80 -- 100
> if he failed by not coping you then the bell would be 66 if he copied the
> bell would peak at 80.

Your teachers must have a different definition of grading ona curve than mine 
did. The way all my teachers did the curve thing was to take the highest 
score, and add the difference between that score and a perfect score to 
everyone else's grade.

So in your score list above, nobody gets any points added because someone got 
100. They "blew the curve". Let us take them out of class for the test so we 
have a set of scores:  60,70,80,90. In this case everyone's score is bumped 
up by ten points. The most me copying your answers does is ensure you and I 
get the same score, curve or not.

Not saying either method is sound (I personally disliked the curve method-s), 
just that they were apparently different.


>
> summary..
> if he does not copy and you got the 80 you are above the 66 peak.. if he
> copied you are right at the peak of 80..
> So Steve guess you win except when he copied from you and you and he both
> got 100, then he didn't take anything from your score..   

Even then he didn't take something from you. He may have cheated you out of 
something, but it was still not theft. That's why it's called *cheating* to 
copy another's  answers (assuming they are getting the right answers!), not 
*stealing*.