Hi, this is Greg writing a few notes about software and entertainment piracy.

This web-site has no intent of condoning such pirate types of an action!

Why do I even mention the topic?  Because some of my "mosaics" which I host on this website, which link to YouTube hosted material called "demo-scene art", a movement which had its roots in the software piracy (warez) movement, but is far from such things, etc.

I feel it is easy to fall into a trap such as software (or entertainment) piracy because TV entertainment is often free and going from that to software piracy is a virtually unnoticeable step (or gate-way drug) to that kind of a lifestyle.

This web-site is hosted on the reputable www.bluehost.com hosting provider service, and it would be pointless to host such "warez" in such a set-up!

More thoughts on this:

* Life has been hard enough -- I don't need the karma!

* Thou shalt not steal (one of Ten Commandments).

* We read in the ISKCON Bhagavad-Gita (scripture):
(and note!: I am not from ISKCON)

Chapter 18, Verse 48, Purport: .. a kṣatriya, however pious he may be, has to fight enemies. He cannot avoid it. Similarly, a merchant, however pious he may be, must sometimes hide his profit to stay in business, or he may sometimes have to do business on the black market. These things are necessary; one cannot avoid them.

Chapter 16, Verses 1-3, Purport: Śaucam means cleanliness, not only in mind and body but in one's dealings also. It is especially meant for the mercantile people, who should not deal in the black market.

* We see on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_infringement

In a public talk between Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Brent Schlender at the University of Washington in 1998, Bill Gates commented on piracy as a means to an end, whereby people who use Microsoft software illegally will eventually pay for it, out of familiarity, as a country's economy develops and legitimate products become more affordable to businesses and consumers:

Although about three million computers get sold every year in China, people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. And as long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.

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The copied images of my mosaics I consider or compare to someone doing art-work mosaics like using magazine clippings.  I will remove them if you don't want such exposure or publicity.

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But if what I consider a Cleric .. can prove they are such, by action, then (by Vedic standards) should they get by on the basis of charity?

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Can you really use something like moral relativism as an argument?  Examples like Hitler?

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So what?  Bust loose or if you can find something better?