Quote:
Originally Posted by carld
Taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing.
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If I license and download an ebook from Amazon, I have taken something that "doesn't belong to me", since ownership of the IP remains with the copyright holder. Was it theft?
If I borrow my neighbor's lawn mower, I have taken something that doesn't belong to me. Am I a thief?
This morning I discover one of my car's tires had gone flat. I need to change it but don't have a jack. My neighbor's is sitting next to his garage, but he's not home. I take it anyway, without permission, change my tire, then return it to where it was. Was that theft?
I start to class only to discover I don't have a pencil, so I grab one off my roommate's desk. I intend to return it to her after class, but on the way home I lose it. Was
that theft?
Theft is the taking of something that belongs to you
with the intent of depriving its owner of possession.
In the case of an illegally downloaded ebook, what
precisely have I taken? Has anyone, anywhere, been deprived of possession of anything? Who? Of what?
See -- no theft.