7 ms·

I respectfully disagree. Users used to pirate the software my first startup made, and that was not fun.

harpastum 16y ago
Theft: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully. There are a lot of things that aren't fun, and I certainly agree that people pirating your software can be a problem, but there is a distinct difference between theft and illicit downloading.
- nailer 16y ago
  I agree with your definition, which doesn't seem to strike much difference between stealing something physical and stealing something digital.
- pmccool 16y ago
  Yeah, the analogy with theft, particularly physical theft, is unconvincing. Counterfeiting is nearer the mark, but there are obvious differences there as well. My big complaint with these analogies, though, isn't with their accuracy or lack therof. It's that they shed absolutely no light on whether copyright laws are good, bad or indifferent. They imply a moral imperative for copyright laws. This is, to put it mildly, controversial. The theft analogy has no bearing on the question of whether the bad effects of copyright laws outweigh the good. I'd rather see the copyright lobby concentrate on that question (other than by quoting implausible estimates of the cost of "piracy"). That, at least, is a defensible position that can be debated constructively. edit: spelling, punctuation.
pyre 16y ago
Theft is criminal and Copyright Infringement is a civil matter (thus far). At least in the eyes of the law, they are different. Just because users were doing something that negatively affected your business doesn't mean that you can redefine the English language just to make the general population more sympathetic to your complaints. e.g.: My employer is *extorting* me by requiring that I work for my pay cheque! I should be able to charge my employer with extortion!
ElbertF 16y ago
If charging for virtual goods isn't a viable business then you need to start doing something else, just because you "want" to make money this way doesn't mean there should be the law for it. People download my software for free and I think it's great.

Theft: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully. There are a lot of things that aren't fun, and I certainly agree that people pirating your software can be a problem, but there is a distinct difference between theft and illicit downloading.

nailer 16y ago
I agree with your definition, which doesn't seem to strike much difference between stealing something physical and stealing something digital.
pmccool 16y ago
Yeah, the analogy with theft, particularly physical theft, is unconvincing. Counterfeiting is nearer the mark, but there are obvious differences there as well. My big complaint with these analogies, though, isn't with their accuracy or lack therof. It's that they shed absolutely no light on whether copyright laws are good, bad or indifferent. They imply a moral imperative for copyright laws. This is, to put it mildly, controversial. The theft analogy has no bearing on the question of whether the bad effects of copyright laws outweigh the good. I'd rather see the copyright lobby concentrate on that question (other than by quoting implausible estimates of the cost of "piracy"). That, at least, is a defensible position that can be debated constructively. edit: spelling, punctuation.

pyre 16y ago

Theft is criminal and Copyright Infringement is a civil matter (thus far). At least in the eyes of the law, they are different. Just because users were doing something that negatively affected your business doesn't mean that you can redefine the English language just to make the general population more sympathetic to your complaints. e.g.: My employer is *extorting* me by requiring that I work for my pay cheque! I should be able to charge my employer with extortion!

ElbertF 16y ago

If charging for virtual goods isn't a viable business then you need to start doing something else, just because you "want" to make money this way doesn't mean there should be the law for it. People download my software for free and I think it's great.