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I'm tired of the 'it's not a physical item' argument. What about services? Can services be effectively stolen? They are not a tangible good, yet people pay a l
by bena 18y ago
I'm tired of the 'it's not a physical item' argument.
What about services? Can services be effectively stolen? They are not a tangible good, yet people pay a lot for services alone (see management consultants). So if I have someone perform a service for me and I don't pay, have I committed theft?
And in essence, isn't that what we're paying for when we buy music/games/video? The services of those who made the thing, because without their work and effort it would not exist. You are using these services (the playing of music in this case) without paying for it, you are stealing their services. And in that case, it could be argued that 17k downloads equals 17k counts of theft.
- xiaoma 18y ago"You are using these services (the playing of music in this case) without paying for it, you are stealing their services. And in that case, it could be argued that 17k downloads equals 17k counts of theft." Following that logic, I've just robbed Beethoven's corpse by listening to Moonlight Sonata. This line of argument fails because using information doesn't prevent others from doing the same.
- bena 18y agoBeethoven was compensated during his time for composing Moonlight Sonata through patronage. Artists today do not have patrons anymore. Or you can consider the public at large the patrons of artists.