Originally Posted by jbjb
These arguments over what word to attach to it are distracting attention from the real point.
It's possible to argue both ways over whether or not copying can be called theft. Many words, not just "theft", have technical legal definitions which are more precise and less encompassing than words in their (arguable) general use. (The law isn't alone in this - many technical fields define words in ways which differ from common usage.) This does not invalidate the common usage of the word.
I'm not saying anything about whether or not it's right to call copying theft, simply that it's certainly debatable and something on which "reasonable people may differ".
The real point, however, is that whatever you choose to call it, it's wrong. Saying (as DawnFalcon has done):
is (IMHO) childish. Ignoring someone's real argument because of their choice of words, when everybody knows what they mean, is school playground stuff.
/JB
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