I sense this is getting larger than the original issues, but I think they remain the same here
If someone consciously embarks on a path to invest their time and effort in creating something that they offer for sale, as compensation for that effort, then if other people try and acquire that for free, they are effectively stealing
The fundamentals of how the kemper works, and what it does, i am sure were covered at length by chris and his legal team before the kemper went public, these amps turn up on millions of recordings we enjoy without the amp manufacturers expecting copyright
There are thousands of free profiles, but there are guys who overtly, like Andy and Amin, and others less overtly, who ask for compensation for their efforts, and i firmly believe thats fair, and our choice if we want to buy into their work, or not, and I think its simply a just and fair response to honour that if you want their work
I completely agree that applies to all material like movies and music, the more that is stolen, the less goes back to the producers, and the inevitable consequence is the less that gets produced
I had Blockbuster as a client a few years ago, and even then they reckoned that 25% of all dvds watched were pirated, think what that does to the financial return to the studios that invest millions in making these films, and certainly as a musician if I publish my work for free, then enjoy it and great, but if I chose to charge for it, as its my livelihood, then that should be respected and protected
I appreciate my views may sound out of touch with how life happens today, I fear very much a case of closing the stable door after the horse has left the field, let alone the stable, but its how i feel, and try to live, and try to encourage those around me to do the same, not always successfully, but you just have to do the best you can, and live with yourself i guess
just my pennyworth