You frustrate me!!!!!!!!

Omg those students in my computing class are soooo annoying!

We were talking about this hypothetical scenario where

This kid wrote a computer software for his uncle to use in his shop, and declines any payment for the use of the software. The uncle then passes this program to the rest of his friends who are in the industry. So what should the kid do? Is the uncle right or wrong?

So this girl said, 'it's the stupidity of the kid, who asked him not to tell the uncle that he cannot spread the software!'

Erm, normally I don't say anything in class (too busy stoning) but erm... I was kind of itching to say something. If anything, I took business law before (I got A!) and you can totally argue so much about this issue.

Then she says something like, 'there is nothing this kid can do about it. It's his stupidity'

I cannot take it. For the first time in my life in NUS, I raised my hand to say something. (At Yanmei's prompting hahaha)

Me - 'Erm, actually, no. Copyright laws protect the kid'

Argumentative guy and annoying girl immediately have things to say!

Woah! I didn't expect such backlash... (Especially in computing class... I mean, I'm a business student, don't know anything about programming. But I know my business law...)

Argumentative Guy - 'But he cannot prove that he wrote the program'

Me - 'Well he cannot, but it doesn't change the fact that he wrote the program, and that he is the author of the program'

Argumentative Guy - 'But how does he prove it? How does he register his copyright? He cannot even prove that he wrote the program, the uncle can say he wrote it'

*don't you just hate people who argue for the sake of arguing?

Me - 'You don't have to register a copyright, it's automatic. You register patents and trademarks, but you don't have to register for a copyright. You automatically have copyright over your software.'

Annoying Girl - 'But he gave it to his uncle and never say anything, so his uncle can do anything with it. He can give it to his friends'

Me - ???!!!! What the hell are they talking about?!!

Me - 'True, but we are talking about the rights of the kid. The fact doesn't change that he holds the copyright of the software! Unless he sold or gave copyright to the uncle, which he didn't'

Argumentative Guy - 'But how does he prove it? He cannot prove it!'

Me - ?!!!!?!?!??!! I'm damn confused.

Me - 'Okay, he cannot, but does this change the fact that he holds the copyright to the program and that he can say what he wants to do with it? It's like, you write an article for a trade journal, a student quotes your article in his term paper, if he doesn't reference it back to your article in his bibilography, it's considered plagarism!'

Argumentative Guy - 'You cannot compare this with a article! Software got software laws!'

Me - 'Is it? I don't think so! He holds the rights to the program and he is protected. So the uncle, whether he knows it or not, shouldn't have sent out copies to his friends without the permission of the kid!'

Argumentative Guy - 'No, you cannot compare it to plagarism...'

Me - 'It is akin to plagarism'

Annoying Girl - 'But since the kid never said anything about it, the uncle can give the program to his friends. And also the uncle don't know it's wrong, so he gave his friends, he don't know it's illegal! So how to say he's wrong? And also nobody knows it's wrong'

Me - ..... *fume

Me - 'So you're saying if he doesn't know the laws, he's not wrong? So let's say, if you breathe, and nobody saw you breathe, does this mean you didn't breathe? The fact lies that, he did something wrong, whether he knows it or not, it's doesn't change the fact that it's wrong' (I wanted to say 'fart', but it'll be rude...)

Fran&YF - 'Wah that's such an arts reference'

Me - I know! It's so 'If there is a chair in the room, but there nobody saw it, does the chair exist?' hehehe

Annoying Girl - 'But nobody knew that he did it, and it's only between friends, so cannot blame him also'

Then even Caleb cannot take it. HAhahaha.

Caleb - 'If I kill someone, and nobody saw it, does it mean I didn't kill anyone? It doesn't change the fact that it's wrong!'

Me - *stifle laughter

Hahahahahaha.

Annoying girl - 'But he never sold it, and the kid already gave the program to him'

Me - 'I'm not saying he should sue his uncle or what, I'm just saying, the kid has his rights, and whether the uncle as good or bad intentions, he still did something wrong'

Argumentative Guy - 'It's only morally wrong...'

Me - '... Uh... whatever, I'm not even bring up why it is called copyright laws anymore.'

The tutor agreed with us. Hahahahaha =D=D=D

I love arguing when I'm obviously right. =P Haha... When I know I'm wrong, I usually don't argue back... that's why I really hate it when people argue for the sake of arguing.

Whee! I've probably fulfilled my class participation points for the rest of the semesterrrrrrrrrrrrr yayyyy =D=D