5 ms·
This may be pedantic, but is stolen the right word to use? I think plagiarized is more accurate.
by DarkLinkXXXX 11y ago
This may be pedantic, but is stolen the right word to use?
I think plagiarized is more accurate.
- smt88 11y agoPlagiarism can also apply to copying content without using the exact same wording. In my mind, "stolen" means copying verbatim. Plagiarism comes from a word meaning "kidnapping" though, so the tone of both words is pretty similar.
- johansch 11y agoStolen implies that the original owner no longer has access to the data due to the actions of the perpetrator.
- bduerst 11y agoFor physical property, yes. For intellectual property, it can still be stolen even if the original owner still has a copy. e.g. The Soviet spies stole the plans for the hydrogen bomb.
- johansch 11y agoAh, so you mean the actual blueprints? And the poor Americans had no copies? How stupid of them!
- Natanael_L 11y agoSo... copied.
- tbrownaw 11y agoNo, for intellectual property the word "stolen" is not appropriate. (Well, unless you're talking about getting the courts to tell the original owner it's yours instead. Which has been at least attempted a few times.)
- bduerst 11y agoIt is semantically appropriate for the word steal. I think you're confusing it with the criminal implications.
- nkrisc 11y agohttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal See definition 1d.
- jsizz 11y agoSo now Merriam-Webster has become the Twelfth Circuit? This is the lamest jurisdiction shopping I've seen in a while.
- rustynails 11y agoA different angle is to look at what is accepted in a court of law. Laws do not consider copying/infringement to be stealing. I know some people who say gunna (I was gunna do it). However, that doesn't make it correct. So, usage is not a measure of validity either. Most online dictionaries exclude steal/theft being linked to infringement/copyright.
- nkrisc 11y agoEDIT: Look at OED's additions list from June 2015, specifically under 'g': http://public.oed.com/the-oed-today/recent-updates-to-the-oed/june-2015-update/new-words-list-june-2015/ http://public.oed.com/the-oed-today/recent-updates-to-the-oe... 'gunna'. Is it still wrong? --original comment-- Common usage does eventually lead to validity, though. Language is not static and evolves through usage. Besides, how are you going to measure validity? Is the OED the sole arbiter of what's "correct"? Common usage and mutual understanding is a great way to determine what's "correct" in a language. I won't debate the legal usage of the word, as there was no mention of legal interpretation by the courts in the previous comments. However you are correct from a legal perspective where words have specific meanings.
- gaius 11y agoThe original owner no longer has access to the revenue stream so yes, the implication is correct.
- ryandrake 11y agoThen, say "potential revenue" was stolen, not content.