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There is a whole society ingrained in “copying”. Mainland Chinese don’t see IP theft as theft. They see it as simply “copying”. It’s ok to copy. But not to stea
by askaboutit 8y ago
There is a whole society ingrained in “copying”. Mainland Chinese don’t see IP theft as theft. They see it as simply “copying”. It’s ok to copy. But not to steal right? So just preach that it’s ok by changing the view. Then allow copying to happen endlessly without retribution because without it. The economy is done.
- filmor 8y agoWell, it is not theft. Theft means that what you are stealing is not there anymore afterwards. Like actually stealing (unique) plans. Not saying that copying is actually okay, but using more sensational terminology is not really helping. Same thing is going on with "piracy", in Germany they actually coined the term "Raubkopie" (robbed copy) which implies that a copy is taken by violent force.
- askaboutit 8y agoWhat about theft of revenue, profits, money spent on new R&D because there is a company or government willing to copy your idea and subsidize its development heavily as to maximise their economic growth. It’s theft. Handbags to manufacturing techniques. Source code to schematics. Science to business models. It’s all meant to prop up local business. Pin duo duo just had their IPO. Now there’s so many fakes and copies that no one knows what’s real on their anymore. Didi vs Uber is a great example. Didi copied the idea, took government subsidies. But then the government stole the competition completely by shutting down Uber and forcing a merger with Didi.
- filmor 8y agoYou can't just redefine "theft" as "deprive of potential earnings/subsidies", watering down definitions is helping no one. I agree that the depriving is what is happening here by copying but this is what shouls be called out then, not a made-up theft.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago> What about theft of revenue, profits, money spent on new R&D If you redefine it like that, then competition itself is theft. After all, if I start competing with you, I deprive you of revenue/profits by forcing you to decrease your margins...
- eps 8y agoIt is a theft, plain and simple. You are depriving the victim of earnings associated with the IP, market position, sales opportunites, all the while sticking them with r&d expenses, which happens even if you are making a copy for personal use.
- hevi_jos 8y agoIf you analyze your own writing you will realize there are implicit beliefs in your thinking that are not trivial to have: -You believe ideas are properties. IP means Intellectual property. -Ideas could be stolen, like any property, that is you take ownership of something letting the original owner without the ability to use it. Europe and then US were developed copying and improving on the ideas of others. E.g Romans looked at people with mining knowledge and conquered them to acquire the knowledge(and the mines). They did the same with Greece. Toledo's steel real origin was a secret so Romans would not conquer them. Europe benefited from ideas like powder manufacturing and improved over that creating dynamite. They improved over compasses making them suitable for sea navigation. Original compasses from China were terrible. Britain copied the ideas and knowledge that lead to industrialization from the Netherlands, who had taken it from the rest of Europe, being at the end of a big river. Then the US copied from England. Native Americans were exterminated as they could not copy the new ideas fast enough in order to defend themselves.
- CPUstring 8y agoWhats your point though?