[Avodah] Are "Gedolim Stories" Good for Chinuch?

[Joel C. Salomon]

On 12/26/2010 03:42 AM, Arie Folger wrote:
> RAM wrote:
>> But when the CC purchased an equivalent value of stamps and tore them up, this is portrayed as an amazing feat of tzidkus. Why? Isn't this a basic act which should be expected of *all* of us?
> 
> Why? Was there really ever a law that prohibited people from carrying
> packages for others either as a favor as as a special courier service?
> Non one was  running any parallel post services, so why should tearing
> up the stamps be required from all of us?

This ties in to how Halacha treats legal monopolies, e.g., copyrights,
or the disputes in centuries past over who was allowed to print the Talmud.

If the Imperial Postal Service has a monopoly, are you obligated to --
or is it even a midas chassidus to -- pay the monopoly holder when using
a (legal) free alternative?  According to this story, the CC held at
least the latter.

(I assume that Dina D'Malchusa Dina would preclude using an unlicensed
commercial alternate courier service.)

--Chesky