Quote:
Originally Posted by calvin-c
As for why it's more often prosecuted as copyright infringement, I think that's because the copyright holders are simply interested in having the act judged illegal, they really don't care what the charge is. And it's probably easier to prosecute it as copyright infringement than as theft. So I suspect the choice is a practical matter rather than a 'definition'.
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Actually, I think is has more to do with the fact that copyright infringement is a civil offense which is where one person sues another person. Criminal charges are levied by a city/state government authority. You can't sue someone for theft, they are charged with theft and prosecuted by a dually authorized authirty and you are only the witness and victim. You get no recompense in criminal court. (No I'm not a lawyer, this is my layman understanding of civil vs criminal offenses.)
BOb