and she said.. "how you interpret the dream is probably more important than the dream itself"

Was thinking about copyright law today and if a sample is a legal slice up to a point then does that work for quotes and at what point does a quote cross the line? Even if you give credit where credit is due?

If I quoted an entire paragraph here from a book, in italics, with proper credit.. would it be illegal?

If I quoted an entire page here from a book, in italics, with proper credit.. would it be illegal?

If I quoted an entire chapter here from a book, in italics, with proper credit.. would it be illegal?

If I quoted an entire book here, that I wrote, would the publisher sue me?

Somewhere I read about copyrights and about laws and about how what keeps this world running is a little slack here and there. Exceptions. Like when the waitress fills your coffee half way through breakfast but doesn't charge you for an extra cup. Like how, when you are going maybe a little too fast because you're trying to get to the hospital to get a doctor to look at your bleeding head wound, the cop doesn't issue a ticket.. See nothing in this life is really black and white (even though I read the newspaper) and that's just it - these asshole acronyms - the RIAA, the DMCA, the DOJ - well christ, they're royally fucking this shit up.

I can't remember where I was reading about this so I can't properly give credit where credit is due. I can't even link to it. But somehow I don't think the dude will mind. That was the point of his article. I think.

If I came home from a long hike in the woods and turned my laptop on to write to you people and if my computer just happened to sniff out a wireless access point somewhere in the neighbourhood, would that be illegal? Should I feel guilty that I am now getting free broadband internet from someone? Should I be concerned that some unsuspecting sap out there might wake up in the middle of the night to see their access point blinky-blinking away happily despite the fact that their computer is off?

I'm not. So maybe that makes me wrong. Illegal even. But maybe that neighbour just doesn't care. Maybe they don't know or don't care and it's not hurting anyone at all so bend the rules and step around them and to no harm will we all prosper in this fine land.

Step out of your house today, walk around, jaywalk.. Bend the rules just a little bit and smile about it because rules were made to be broken.