Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
But don't forget, a book isn't just about the paper, it's an intellectual property... that's what you're paying for (plus extra for printing costs). If you steal a book, it's not considered illegal because you've deprived an honest citizen of buying it... it's illegal because you took it without paying for it. And downloading a property that you did not pay for, and which you are legally expected to pay for, is just as illegal as stealing a book off the shelf.
That's why transcribing, or downloading for free (in some cases) is considered legal only if you already own the work, IOW, paid for it legally. "Potential buyer" doesn't enter into it.
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Don't you think, though, Steve, that this is the fundamental problem that those of us who make our living by selling "intellectual property" (I sell software, you sell books) are facing? There is a widespread perception that downloading software or books "isn't really doing anything wrong" because "nobody is losing anything". We need to educate people that taking other peoples' intellectual property
is wrong, because that's the way that people such as you and I make our living!