It's sad that the sanest comment in this whole discussion comes from an Anonymous Coward.

No. We have such laws to protect others' right to live. Having the source code to a computer program, or ensuring that others do, is not, in any sense, a human right.

For the record, if you're 18–20, and in the US military, you can drink alcohol in those establishments on military property which serve it.

I doubt if billable hours are a concern. Sony needs lawyers so often, they probably have them on staff—i.e., on salary. There are a ton of lawyers who are willing to make less money if it also means having an 8–5, 5-days-a-week, job instead of a 90-hour workweek.

+1 FUTURAMA

And the Empire didn't finally fall for good until another thousand years later. Hardly "forever," but nothing to sneer at either.

Well, that's boring. And that picture doesn't look like a saucer at all!

Welcome to Slashdot. You must be new here.

Those are definitely neat, but it eliminates one of the most frequent uses of business cards: scratch paper. Unless you had a grease pencil, I guess.

I'm pretty sure it's both. Are you seriously expecting consistency from an elected official at the head of a vast bureaucracy?

Just because something existed in the 70's doesn't necessarily mean people should have known about it or that it had any impact on future developments.

You know, you're right. I am not a lawyer, but I deal with them on a day-to-day basis for my job. Many—most, even—of them are some of the nicest people on a personal level. But you start talking about legal matters with them and suddenly they are complete bastards. I don't know whether this is something inculcated in law school or what.

Because we don't. There's not a better answer to your question.

If you think the US should have a "loser pays" legal system, get elected to the Congress and introduce legislation for it.

And what government instituted among men is going to destroy something so potentially useful—to them, of course, not to the citizenry.