
Originally Posted by
jund-al-islam
Bismillah.
I would like to bring up this topic again.
When it comes to Islamic knowledge, I really can't grasp the fact that it can be copyrighted.
There's a CD-quality recording of Mishaary Raashid Qur'an Recitation. I remember at the end of a Surah (not every Surah...), someone's voice comes up with a message sort of like "Remember brothers, this CD is copyrighted...etc.etc."
Come on, copyrighting Qur'an?? Or did you copyright Mishaary's voice? Or did you copyright the actual CD that you sold? So why did someone buy it then?
Anyway, so when it comes to Islamic knowledge I really can't see how someone can copyright that. Similarly, Anwar al-'Awlaqi's lectures. Many of them (even the ones for sale) were clearly recorded in Masaajid! He is addressing people.
So if someone recorded those lectures personally, can he not give it out since someone else recorded it and copyrighted it? Or are you copyrighting the knowledge itself, so if someone were to give the same exact lecture elsewhere, he would be breaching the copyright?
I find that very hard to accept...
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Anyway, that's not what I wanted to ask.
I want to ask about other types of stuff, basically anything besides Islamic knowledge. Such as software, books, etc.
As we have noticed from the fatwas posted, scholars have indeed recognized copyright. But doesn't this essentially mean that you pay your money and you end up not owning anything except the pieces of paper which the book is printed on, or the piece of plastic whatever that the CD is made out of...
Secondly, how on earth is someone allowed to force you into a contract ON YOUR OWN STUFF?
You go to the local computer shop, you buy microsoft whatever, or adobe whatever, paying like $600 bucks. You go home and open your product, insert your CD into your computer and try to open your product, but behold! There is a HUUUUUUUUGE contract there and you cannot even begin to install your own product (let alone use it!) before you agree to someone else's terms!! And a whole lot of them!
Who gave this guy the right to force you into a contract AFTER you had purchased it from him? Too late, buddy. And you are forced into it, because you can't 'refuse to sign.' You either have to agree or disagree. And if you disagree you can't use your own product.
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So basically my two questions are:
1). Can someone force me into an agreement on my own property after I have already purchased it?
--1a). And does it make a difference that I already know he will try to force me into said agreement, (because we all know that pretty much all stuff is copyrighted so you know that the instant you pop in that CD you will see the 'I agree' 'I disagree' buttons.)
2). When someone owns an intellectual property, what does he actually own? What exactly is it?
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