Quote:
Originally Posted by MovieBird
The argument that copyright infringement is theft isn't really an argument, or analogy, it's hiding behind ignorance.
Ignorance that is inexcusable in people who love words/books so much that they frequent a forum all about words/books.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carld
If people aren't saying that content piracy isn't bad (even though lots of people here do), then why keep bringing up the irrelevant argument that it isn't theft? It's just intentionally arguing over a definition in order to muddy the waters and derail the discussion.
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Look up theft in the Criminal Code and you'll find that it doesn't cover copyright infringement. Theft is a criminal offense whereas copyright infringement is not. Words have specific (and important) meanings, even if that meaning isn't what you would like it to be.
I'm not saying infringement is okay because it's not theft, but I am saying there's no point in having a discussion if you can't at least understand the important distinction.
I'm also intrigued by the unquantifiable harms everyone keeps bringing up to justify stricter copyright; a "devaluing" of creative works is a fun one. It all comes down to "it's harmful because it's harmful".
Edit
I really can't understand the vitriol at suggesting that the word "theft" does not include copyright infringement. It's not an argument, opinion or position, it's merely a fact; theft just doesn't mean what you think it does. Now by saying this, one doesn't condone copyright infringement.
Copyright is an interesting and complex subject, and it's an oversimplification to just say "copyright = theft" and think the conversation is done. There's a lot of subtle nuances to the issue that we can't even begin to get into if the conversation begins and ends there.