Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy
How do you "steal" something that never existed?
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I think that some people don't see a distinction between a potential sale and real sale that is prevented from occurring. They assume that every potential sale will turn into a real sale.
So they think that every time a file is copied, a real sale that otherwise would have been made has now been prevented.
It is the royalties or licensing fee or sale price for this prevented sale that is regarded as having been "stolen."
The question is, when is the assumption correct, and when not? It seems to me that copying for personal use always involves a question of time shifting or device shifting.
In that context, my own view is that I've already paid for the file, so nothing is "stolen." I think some people believe that you are required to buy the file again if you use it on a different device or outside the time parameters set by the "license" at the time of purchase.