Edge said:Um, no. Stealing has a very specific legal definition. Copyright infringement doesn't qualify, whether bookwarez or ripped music.
By claiming that pirating music or software or books is "stealing", you're trying to use moral language to describe an essentially amoral act, obscuring the issue by painting it with an incompatible brush. There is no Biblical or other moral law that says that, if I write a paragraph, no one else can repeat that paragraph without my express written consent and a material reward.
Which is not to say there shouldn't be secular laws that say something to that effect, but that there is room for moral... equivocation.The issue bears thinking about, and knee-jerk responses aren't particuarly valid.
Abortion also has a very specific legal definition. One that doesn't define it as murder.
Yes, we must obey the laws of the land, but sometimes the laws are unjust and civil disobedience is justified.
I've just chosen to boycott riaa labels - which includes one of my long time favorite artists.
The RIAA is cutting peoples hands off at random. They won't be able to sue 60 million people. I make $50k a year and a $3000 fine would destroy me financially. I haven't forgotten what it was like to make $20k a year or ever $9k a year (1996 was a baaaad year). Considering the income levels of many of the people being sued are under $30k, a $3000 fine is devastating.
Just wanted to point out that existence or nonexistence of laws doesn't make anything moral or immoral.
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