Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale
So what would you call your boss if he decided to stop paying you for your work?
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I would call him in breach of contract and take him to a civil court. That's a lot different than having the cops show up and throw him in jail on a criminal charge.
There is a big perception difference between criminal theft and civil infringement. Using the wrong terms at best confuses the issue, and at worst is done intentionally in order to bring the nastier perceptions of criminal law into the discussion to create fear and intimidation.
I'm not arguing that downloading is right or wrong, I'm just saying that you do not call it "theft" for the same reasons that you don't call harassment "murder". They are completely different things.