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[John Reimer]

downs wrote:
> John Reimer wrote:
>> Yes, that philosophy of taking before it's given does pervade some cultures
>> (in some places, it used to be called "stealing")... such redefinition
>> of "liberty" does little good to encourage good workmanship.
> 
> And such redefinition of "stealing" does little to help your point
> in my eyes. I can actually sympathize with the Tango team; nobody likes having
> his copyright infringed. But that's all that it is, infringement, and every
> time you call it stealing a little part of the English language withers and dies.
> 
> Stealing is defined as taking something without its owner's consent. The point
> of this is that after it was taken, the original owner *doesn't have it any more*.
> 
> Copyright infringement is the copying of something without the copyright holder's
> consent, the difference being that the copyright holder doesn't lose it.
> 
> So it's not stealing.
> 
> The Copyright Lobby would very much like to redefine copyright infringement as
> stealing, because, well, "copyright infringement" doesn't sound very criminal
> and "pirates" actually sounds cool :)
> 
> But that's purely a PR tactic - copyright infringement has, and never had,
> anything to do with "stealing".
> 
> People have argued that every time you infringe the copyright of a commercial
> product, you "steal" a sale from the copyright holders.
> 
> I put "steal" in quotes because it is very much in question if you can steal an
> immaterial concept that hasn't even occured yet.
> 
> Nothing wrong with arguing against copyright infringement, but please call it
> by its proper name.
> 
>  --downs


downs, you assume too much. :) If I say "steal", it's likely that I'm 
referring to actual property loss: in this case, assets lost as a result 
of loss sales... which classifies as a loss of property.

I'm not referring to copyright infringement (I never even mentioned 
that), which I'm sure could be debated with many arguments from both 
sides. Nor would I like to enter such a debate. My mind works a lot 
simpler than that. :)

-JJR