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Originally Posted by Andrew H.
It's theft in my jurisdiction.
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I doubt this very much.
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Which is why many courts have used the terms "theft" or "stealing" to describe certain types of what were probably charged as copyright infringement.
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Judges sometimes conflate "theft" and "infringement" in their judicial opinions, but doing so doesn't consequently make copyright infringement prosecutable under criminal codes for theft.
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"Theft" or "stealing" are very accurate terms to describe taking someone's property without their permission
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Yes, they are. However, unauthorized
reproduction is not theft of property. It's a violation, i.e. infringement, of someone else's exclusive legal authority. The rights-holder can sue for damages in civil court.
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"Sharing" implies is giving someone something that you own and have the right to give away
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Well, actually, it's possible to share nearly anything, whether the "thing" is rightfully yours or wrongfully obtained. However, I agree that "file sharing" is usually a euphemism for copyright infringement, keeping in mind that lawful, non-infringing file sharing also occurs.