Quote:
Originally Posted by ekaser
Just because you can't AFFORD to pay for something doesn't mean that you should get it for free. I don't disagree with you that reading one book by an author for free can lead to many further sales. Baen Books has shown just that fact through their Free Library. BUT... it is the AUTHOR'S right to give you that option, it is not YOUR right to take that option. One is wise marketing on the author's part, the other is theft. The "shared culture" theme is why copyright was originally for a relatively short period (12 or 14 years, plus one renewal of the same duration, in the U.S.). That period has been shamefully extended, at the behest of large corporations, to a ridiculously long period. But that means the laws should be changed, not that everyone should become thieves.
I don't know if you've ever created something that you've then sold copies of (book, program, etc), but when you DO make your living in that way, the talk of "sharing with friends" leaves a very different taste in your mouth.
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It is not 'theft' nor will it be 'theft' just because you say it is so or it 'feels' that way to you. At worst it is copyright infringement. Theft deprives the original owner of property, copying a file does not.