Americans living in Ukraine?

[Gotno Gizmo]

Originally Posted by Outback

When i bring up the fact that far more Ukrainians live in America than Americans live in Ukraine, she says those are greedy Ukrainians who only care about money and material items. [B]Yet then she runs off to the store and spends thousands on fancy home decorations and gardening paraphenilia. [/B .

This is the result of the perpetual exposure to "Smart Money" advertising that induces you all to go out and spend, spend, spend. This is one of the greatest reasons why your country is in free fall.

[Frontiersman]

Originally Posted by Gotno Gizmo

Here In Lugansk I walk past a stall selling counterfeit (bootlegged) DVDs, with many titles from western countries. When I have said that would not be possible in my country because the Police would arrest them, close their stall and sieze their equipment, I was told "that won't happen, it's owned by the Chief of Police"!

What's wrong with that in your judgement?

[Gotno Gizmo]

I apologise for going off topic, but in reply to Frontiersman, and his belief that there is nothing wrong in counterfeit DVD's.
You will be aware of the argument concerning theft of intellectual property. I think that a DVD film, a book / screen play, or music arising from someone's imaginative process, rare photographic image taken from a costly difficult location, creative and beautiful painting etc...etc, deserves to be protected from reproduction without the owner recieving any reward. However, I concede that this matter is a complicated legal matter in which the lawyers are the winners. I do not extend this judgement to a football /tea shirt, footwear, with a football club's logo or sport manufacturers mark. In my view the garment has not been newly invented, but has been in the public domain for many years. As for the reproduction of a recognised mark or logo (once commonly excepted as a label), I think it's permissible as long as the wearer is not seeking to gain advantage, benefit or mislead. For example he is wearing a mark/marks to impersonate a security officer, law enforcement, legal charity collector etc...etc...

If a Ukrainain, or any other state's Police officer is running a counterfeit DVD business, he should be stripped of his rank in my view as he is committing theft.

[Frontiersman]

Originally Posted by Gotno Gizmo

I apologise for going off topic, but in reply to Frontiersman, and his belief that there is nothing wrong in counterfeit DVD's.

I did not consider the issue as “off topic”. Having an opportunity to see things from different view point and to reconsider one’s entire philosophy might be one of many reasons to live in Ukraine for a while.

You will be aware of the argument concerning theft of intellectual property.

Do you know by whom and when the term “intellectual property” was invented and introduced to the public? It sounds like it’s relatively recent lawyers’ invention.

I think that a DVD film, a book / screen play, or music arising from someone's imaginative process, rare photographic image taken from a costly difficult location, creative and beautiful painting etc...etc, deserves to be protected from reproduction without the owner recieving any reward.

As I see, the key word is “costly”. That means it was generously financed by some undisclosed interests. As Ukrainian thought takes it: thieves do not like a bright light. Once I read that a performer receives 0.95 $ out of 15$ CD, the rest goes to the pockets of “intellectuals” like EMI or Sony Music and their respective financial backers who have already been rewarded by exclusive access to financing.

However, I concede that this matter is a complicated legal matter in which the lawyers are the winners.

I guess you’ve got a lot of chances to see that most folks in Ukraine do not see any natural grounds for lawyers to exist on Earth since the lawyer’s truth can be adjusted.

I do not extend this judgement to a football /tea shirt, footwear, with a football club's logo or sport manufacturers mark. In my view the garment has not been newly invented, but has been in the public domain for many years.

That’s also stands for CD. Laser disks, cameras and other equipment were created by many people within extended period of time but it just a few extremely smart moneymaker claim for super profits.

If a Ukrainain, or any other state's Police officer is running a counterfeit DVD business, he should be stripped of his rank in my view as he is committing theft.

Most probably the answer was simplified and state's Police officers do provided a cover and smooth operation. But otherwise, “honest” Law Enforcement Agencies will be too costly to keep.