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False. When someone without your permission copies your source code, plans or inventions, which are not physical things, is this not theft? What about the non p
by swinglock 3y ago
False. When someone without your permission copies your source code, plans or inventions, which are not physical things, is this not theft? What about the non physical bits and bytes in your Dropbox or bank account? That's just like, an exchange of information, man. Why must the "physical" qualifier be there?
- spellbaker 3y ago[flagged]
- dguest 3y agoCorrect! The parent post here isn't really productive, I also have some misgivings on this school of internet debate where a disagreement needs to start with any of: - False. - Incorrect. - Nope. Is it just me or is this needlessly smug? Again, the parent isn't productive, but a terse "You are wrong." in the grandparent isn't really a good way to start a productive conversation either.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- swinglock 3y agoI can agree with that, though when something is patently false, I don't think it's wrong to point this out clearly. A misinformed reader could miss the nuance and mistake facts for options, which in this case could land someone in jail. As for smugness and the format of posts, you sure don't live as you preach.
- j4yav 3y agoIt just makes me think the person saying it is Dwight Schrute or equivalent.
- bloqs 3y agoPlease try to be more substantitive and helpful in replies, it helps maintain the quality of the community.
- Nursie 3y agoOne does not merely copy the numbers in a bank account when committing theft. The key part is depriving the original owner of the use of the item. Whether you think piracy is right or wrong, there is a crucial difference between traditionally understood stealing or theft, in that the original owner no longer has the thing. With copyright infringement that’s not the case.
- photonerd 3y ago> The key part is depriving the original owner of the use of the item. I know that’s been a tribal shibboleth of piracy since the 2000s, and I’m sympathetic to the moral argument to this view… but it’s just factually untrue (both in terminology AND in law)
- Nursie 3y agoIt’s not though, in law, as they are different crimes. And that’s where copyright infringement even is a crime rather than a civil matter as it is in many places.
- swinglock 3y agoI didn't comment on piracy. As for piracy, of course it's wrong, though far less serious than what I responded to. > depriving the original owner of the use of the item When someone invests to make a film, do you think the use of the resulting film to the owner is to watch it or sell it? To break it down, did someone invest millions to make millions, or did someone pay millions to watch one movie? You know the answer and thus we know that stealing a copy without paying does does in fact deprive the original owner of the use of the item, which was always to sell copies of it, that's the reason and criteria for its existence. At small scale though the industry still makes do, so it's less serious than stealing for example, a company (e.g. their information). Every act of piracy also wasn't technically a stolen sale, because not everyone stealing would ever have bought it if stealing wasn't an option.
- Nursie 3y agoCopying something does not remove the thing from the original owner, hence these are different acts. Referring to such things as theft or stealing is lazy and incorrect, regardless of relative severity. The fact you use the term “stealing” in your justification of the act being “stealing” kinda points to your own circular reasoning there, rather than a good defence. We can agree it’s wrong without polluting the semantic space. Otherwise we may as well just call everything “murder” or “terrorism” and be done with it.