The simple fact that you can divide the users downloading copyrighted material into multiple groups would mean that the term 'piracy' is a broader term.
it's like piracy is the main subject and theft or non-theft piracy would be the stubs.
PIRACY
/ \
LOST REVENUE NO LOST REVENUE
| |
THEFT NOT THEFT
Piracy is not theft. This is one of those...a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn't a square...type of deals, or maybe not.
You're inappropriately focusing on revenue and not access. Suppose I had a goose that laid golden eggs /ad infinitum/. I have infinite net worth, but if you take one of my eggs, you now have access to value which you otherwise wouldn't have had. Just because your theft didn't impact my revenue it doesn't follow that you didn't steal.
IP is actually quite similar. Suppose I wrote a book (.pdf) that contains important business information about the future of the oil market. I obtained this information at great personal cost. Your accessing that information doesn't remove that information from me, but it's still stealing access to information you otherwise wouldn't have had.
Saying, "But I wasn't going to buy your crappy business book anyway!" doesn't change the fact that you've still taken information that doesn't belong to you.
Comments
The simple fact that you can divide the users downloading copyrighted material into multiple groups would mean that the term 'piracy' is a broader term.
it's like piracy is the main subject and theft or non-theft piracy would be the stubs.
Piracy is not theft. This is one of those...a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn't a square...type of deals, or maybe not.You're inappropriately focusing on revenue and not access. Suppose I had a goose that laid golden eggs /ad infinitum/. I have infinite net worth, but if you take one of my eggs, you now have access to value which you otherwise wouldn't have had. Just because your theft didn't impact my revenue it doesn't follow that you didn't steal.
IP is actually quite similar. Suppose I wrote a book (.pdf) that contains important business information about the future of the oil market. I obtained this information at great personal cost. Your accessing that information doesn't remove that information from me, but it's still stealing access to information you otherwise wouldn't have had.
Saying, "But I wasn't going to buy your crappy business book anyway!" doesn't change the fact that you've still taken information that doesn't belong to you.
So you think that the definition of theft requires lost revenue?
Would you accept that in end cases?
Say you steal a toy from a child that has piles of em? They don't even notice. Not theft?