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Originally Posted by HansTWN
What is being stolen is not the file per se, it is the exclusive right to create legal copies of that file.
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Only you can't steal that. It doesn't fit any definition of theft that I am familiar with.
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Only copies created under fair use are exempt.
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Ah, so a bit of stealing is OK? Let's face it: a copyright violation is just that, a civil offence with civil remedies. It's not a crime in the strict sense, though, and certainly not theft.
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When you buy a ticket to a concert and then at the door they say "we won't let you in" have you they not "stolen" your right?
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No, they haven't. The have violated my contractual right to attend the concert. Again, not a crime, just a case for civil remedies (Small Claims Court, most likely).
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You might give it a different name, but in the end it is some sort of theft.
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It's not. Sure, call things what you want, but a spade, a shovel and and an entrenching tool are different things... I can't help it if this requires a bit of abstract thinking.
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Copyright is not a "priviledge" bestowed on authors by society ...
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Actually, that is
precisely the point I was trying to make, beautifully worded: So, yes:
Copyright is a privilege bestowed upon authors by society.
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If I practice and create perfect copies of your signature (or I just scan and paste your signature to the bottom of a document) that is ok if I don't cause you any financial harm
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If you don't use it fraudulently, ie trying to impersonate me, there is probably no law against it. Certainly the signatures of famous people are collectible, or so I've heard. Signed books, too, are regularly passed on without consent (or knowledge) of the original signator.