[pp.int.general] Correct word usage for PP.

[Richard Stallman]

The term "digital goods" shares a drawback with all other terminology
taken from economics: it directs people to think in terms of economics
rather than in terms of human rights.

I call them "published works".  Everyone will understand that term,
which is much older and predates the tendency to look at life in terms
of economics.

As for "virtual assets", that is not equivalent to those other too.
Its meaning is totally different.

For instance, a digital audio recording that we might have a copy of
could be called a "digital good", though I would prefer to call it
a "published work".

The copyright on that recording might be a "virtual asset",
but the recording itself is probably not one.

The copyright is not the same thing as the work.  Identifying them
tends to lead people to believe that copyright policy is inherent in
the works and cannot be changed.  That is the opposite of what we say.
For us to identify copyrights and works is self-defeating.

Another problem with "virtual asset" is that it lumps together
copyrights, patents, trademarks, and various other legal privileges.
That is self-defeating.  We need to teach people to see them as
separate issues.

"Virtual asset" also has the drawback of leaning towards economics.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org, www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.