3 ms·
I am a major fan and paying user of Instapaper and similar services. But how are they not stealing content from others to provide their services? Read it later
by Kylekramer 14y ago
I am a major fan and paying user of Instapaper and similar services. But how are they not stealing content from others to provide their services? Read it later apps are useless without content. Websites may provide an abysmal reading experience, but it is their property and they can present it as they please. Even if I don't like it and prefer to use Instapaper, it is still theft of a certain kind. So, yes, Instapaper/Safari Reader/Adblock/Reeder are scrapers in my estimation.
- icebraining 14y agoCopying, not stealing.
- Kylekramer 14y agoEh, I hate arguing this point cause I find myself doing it a lot and never really getting anywhere interesting, but here goes. I believe copyright infringement is a subset of stealing. The common definition of stealing is taking something you don't own without permission. The fact that the owner still has a copy is immaterial. Acting like depriving the owner of their copy is a necessary component of stealing is just a remnant of a time where it was much harder to make perfect copy of valuable property. I know the copy vs. steal debate is touchy, but I also feel it is just a distraction from the larger issue.
- icebraining 14y agoIn most copyright infringements, the infringers are either sharing what they legally bought and own or accepting something that was shared with them and sharing it themselves. There is never any "taking" involved, for any definition of the word.