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What makes me think I can? The fact I *can*.
If it is illegal to change web content, I CANNOT EVER USE IT.

The browser is changing it BY DISPLAYING IT.

The browser does not display raw HTML. The browser is allowed to ignore some tags, it is allowed to do whatever it wants.

As long as I am not affecting how it gets displayed to anyone else, I am not violating any laws whatsoever.

I'm allowed to buy a CD, rip mp3s from it, and put them on my mp3 player and on winamp and anything else, and I'm not violating copyright.

I'm ONLY violating copyright if I redistributed.

Google's toolbar is allowing me to change what is displayed on *my computer*. If I *really* wanted to, I could write something that would hang onto the TCP/IP stack and modify all HTML documents I download. And that wouldn't violate copyright either, because I am not redistributing.


COPYright. It only applies to DISTRIBUTION. If Google changes the distribution, that's bad. But it doesn't. It changes what my computer does, in the way *I* say, to what *I* want.

I'm allowed to save your HTML source to my hard disk, edit it, and use the edited version to surf if I want. You can't stop me, and the very fact there's a "view source" button in browsers means you're an idiot if you want to.


COPYright applies to COPYING ie PUBLISHING.

I'm not allowed to republish your page, but I'm damn well allowed to do what I want to display it; if not, browsers would be illegal, because they don't display the raw HTML.
Posted by: Sotek   Posted on: 03/23/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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I can't agree with google on this one  gsbtech | 02/18/05
What about..  d_jedi | 02/18/05
Can't agree with you  rpmyers1 | 02/18/05
style not substance  gsbtech | 02/18/05
re: style not substance  rpmyers1 | 02/18/05
Who Owns the Content  SnowBound | 02/20/05
Encouraging bad standards?  dominigan105 | 02/23/05
Ad Blockers and Redirects  SnowBound | 02/20/05
You gave up that right  rpmyers1 | 02/21/05
No, the user is the one modifying the page, not Google.  DonnieBoy | 02/18/05
The user has the right to change way pages are displayed.  DonnieBoy | 02/18/05
big difference  gsbtech | 02/18/05
Not really.  Sotek | 02/19/05
caching doesn't change content  gsbtech | 02/19/05
Change, no, but remove control, yes.  Sotek | 03/23/05
Legality  Joe Blow_z | 02/19/05
Re: Legality  mdielmann | 02/20/05
Bad arg  IT Scion | 02/21/05
Flawed counter argument  rpmyers1 | 02/21/05
Not flawed  IT Scion | 02/21/05
Won't let me reply to your other post...  rpmyers1 | 02/21/05
It doesn't  IT Scion | 02/21/05
"On who's authority are they hijacking my pages?"  Sotek | 03/23/05
What makes me think I can? The fact I *can*.  Sotek | 03/23/05
Man, it is my computer, I want to filter my pages, I can do it.  DonnieBoy | 02/19/05
Filter - yes....  Joe Blow_z | 02/19/05
I can do whatever I want to my pages in my own house my own computer.  DonnieBoy | 02/20/05
You can Google cannot  IT Scion | 02/21/05
If MS was doing it, it would be different  Sotek | 03/23/05
A key work you used is  Jack-Booted EULA | 02/20/05
Not an accurate statement  dominigan105 | 02/23/05
Who is making the ultimate decision on  bjbrock | 02/18/05
Where do you get this Eutopian garbage  Squawkbox | 02/19/05
The real purpose of this forum...  gsbtech | 02/19/05
You do that...  Sotek | 03/23/05
Google Toolbar Changes  Jeff Hayes | 02/19/05
the losers  gsbtech | 02/19/05
My argument exactly (sort of)  Squawkbox | 02/19/05
A link generally meens additional info.  gsbtech | 02/19/05
Warped to the extreme  Squawkbox | 02/19/05
Controling Content  SnowBound | 02/20/05
Also  IT Scion | 02/21/05
If you want to punish the end user...  Sotek | 03/23/05
Oh well  FilledOut | 02/20/05
Google Toolbar Autolink  lonp@... | 02/21/05
Microsoft _. ,,,  RobertoSalazar | 02/21/05
Google is not exempt  IT Scion | 02/21/05
the heart of the matter:  wessonjoe | 02/25/05
Good Article  none none | 02/26/05
Developers Challenge  SnowBound | 02/26/05

What do you think?

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