Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great
It is a very big stretch to say that fraud is stealing. If someone has "stolen" my identity, they have only lied. They have not deprived me of it. I am still me, so I still have my identity.
|
True, but "stolen your identity" and "identity theft" are the names of what is happening. The names that our government gives those situations. Maybe on a technical level this is a poor name, but that's what it's commonly called.
But my point was regarding the intangible aspects of stealing electrons i.e. e-books.
I guess I have this view: If the author of a work wants me to have it for free, he/she will give it to me for free. If he/she doesn't offer it to me for free and I take it without paying, I consider it stealing because he/she doesn't want to give it to me without paying.
There are plenty of arguments about it's the "publisher" and not the author who wants to make people pay in many cases.
Well if that were true, the those authors could make a website and start offering up works for free downloads--I don't see a lot of that happening. If the author
(or someone that they authorize to speak on their behalf i.e. publisher, agent ect.) aren't offering the work for free, and I take it without paying, the I am stealing. Doesn't matter if it's electrons, or if it's cheap to produce, or whatever.
Of course, this is just my opinion and the moral argument I make for myself. Your experience may vary.
