Kwestin From Reader

Hao nao olketa tru Christian shud ting long wei for givim copy bilong olketa bisnis software program for computer long nara pipol?

Samfala maet mistek for trae for talem toktok bilong Jesus olsem excuse: “Iufala kasem free, givim free.” Bat, Jesus hem no minim wei for givimaot free copy bilong buk or computer program (software) wea garem copyright, wea law nao bossim wei for iusim olketa information hia. Jesus minim wei for give long ministry. Jesus talem olketa aposol wea go aot long olketa difren taon and vilij for preachim Kingdom, healim sik pipol, and raosem olketa demon. Winim wei for kostim diswan, olketa aposol mas “givim free.”—Matthew 10:7, 8.

From moa pipol and bisnis iusim computer, planti needim software. Planti taem man need for baem diswan. Hem tru, samfala man raetem olketa program wea no garem kost and wea sei man savve copyim and givim long nara pipol. Bat klosap evri computer software hem for sellim olsem bisnis. Nomata hem for iusim long hom or for iusim long bisnis, olketa expectim evriwan wea iusim software for baem diswan, for pei for diswan. Sapos eniwan tekem or copyim wanfala software bat hem no peim, datwan brekem law, sem olsem wei for photocopyim olketa buk, nomata hem for givimaot free.

Klosap evri computer program (olketa game tu insaed diswan) garem license, mekem man wea ownim/iusim need for followim samfala samting wea license letem and samting wea hem stopem. Planti license olsem talemaot hao wanfala man nomoa savve putim and iusim datfala program—wea evritaem hem putim insaed wanfala computer nomoa, nomata hem wanfala hom computer or computer bilong bisnis or skul. Samfala license sei man wea iusim savve garem wanfala copy for hemseleva, bat hem mas no mekem olketa copy for nara pipol. Sapos man wea ownim want for givim awe full program (insaed diswan hem license and olketa document), hem savve duim olsem. Bat, for duim olsem minim hem bae lusim wei wea hem garem paoa for iusim diswan. Olketa license no semsem, so man wea baem wanfala program or wea nara pipol offerim long hem, hem shud faendaot wanem nao disfala license barava talem.

Planti nation share long olketa copyright agreement wea protectim “intellectual property,” olsem olketa computer program, and olketa trae for strongim olketa copyright law. Olsem example, The New York Times bilong January 14, 2000, reportim hao “olketa police bilong Germany and Denmark arrestim samfala member bilong wanfala bigfala gang wea iusim software long wei wea againstim law,” wea go ahed for copyim and givim aot olketa computer program and game, and olketa savve sellim samfala tu thru long Internet.

Wanem nao position bilong Christian kongregeson long disfala samting? Well, Jesus hem sei: “Peim bak olketa samting bilong Caesar long Caesar, bat olketa samting bilong God long God.” (Mark 12:17) Datwan minim olketa Christian mas obeyim olketa law bilong kantri wea no go againstim law bilong God. Paul raet olsem abaotem olketa gavman: “Letem evri soul for stap anda long olketa hae paoa . . . Man wea againstim disfala paoa hem againstim datfala arrangement bilong God; olketa wea againstim diswan bae kasem judgment.”—Romans 13:1, 2.

Hem no waka bilong olketa elder insaed Christian kongregeson for chekim olketa computer bilong nara pipol, olsem olketa nao garem paoa for minim and strongim olketa copyright law. Bat olketa bilivim and teachim hao olketa Christian shud stap klia from wei for tekem samting wea no bilong olketa and shud trae hard for obeyim law. Diswan protectim olketa Christian from wei for kasem panis olsem pipol wea brekem law, and hem helpem olketa for garem gudfala conscience front long God. Paul hem raet olsem: “Dastawe, strongfala reason stap for iufala stap anda, no from datfala kros nomoa bat from conscience [bilong iufala] tu.” (Romans 13:5) Long sem wei tu, Paul hem talemaot feeling bilong olketa tru Christian witim olketa toktok hia: “Mifala savve mifala garem wanfala honest conscience, from mifala want for duim evri samting long honest wei.”—Hebrews 13:18.

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Samfala bisnis and skul baem olketa license wea talem haomas pipol savve iusim datfala program. Long 1995, olketa kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness storyim wanfala article wea garem disfala kaonsel:

“Klosap evri company wea preparem and sellim olketa computer program putim copyright long olketa, and olketa provaedem wanfala license wea talem hao for iusim olketa program hia fitim law. Klosap evritaem datfala license sei man wea ownim diswan mas no givim long nara pipol olketa copy bilong datfala program; tru nao, international copyright law tambuim wei for duim diswan. . . . Samfala big bisnis sellim olketa computer wea garem finis olketa program wea garem license insaed long olketa. Bat, samfala computer stoa no givim olketa license bikos olketa program wea olketa putim insaed hem olketa copy wea againstim law, wea minim pipol wea baem diswan brekem law taem olketa iusim olketa program hia. Samting wea join witim diswan, olketa Christian shud stap klia from wei for putim, or tekem information from olketa electronic bulletin board wea garem copyright (olsem olketa buk bilong Society garem) wea olketa copyim nomata olketa wea ownim no letem diswan long wei wea fitim law.”