Quote:
Originally Posted by brian_wilbanks
But you took money from someone that they had already earned.
Am I stealing if I sit on the top of a hill next to my house and listen to an outdoor concert and watch it with my binocs?
If I dont take something away from you.....it's not stealing.
That's just the way I see it, and no amount of corporate lawyer intellectual property horseshit from the FBI and cybercrime.gov will ever convince me otherwise.
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You yourself admitted that you were taking something from them a moment ago when you stated that the only ramifications for the illegal downloads was that rich rock stars wouldn't be able to buy sports cars for their kids (the they're rich anyway, defense). Your justification then was that yes, you're stealing, yes they're losing, but they're still rich. Again, i could use that justification to steal from Walmart. I honestly can't fathom why ANYONE would shop at a store who's sole aim is to get 10 people wealthy and the rest of the WORLD poor. But though i believe that, i'm STILL not going to steal from them, even though i'm stealing from the wealthiest people on earth. And THEY'RE thieves to boot.
If you sneak into the concert without paying it's stealing. If it's out in the open, it's not stealing. I'm not being "lawyerly" by stating what the law actually is. In fact, if anything, you're the one being "lawyerly" in arguing a "defense". You're basically arguing mitigating circumstances and poverty. But that's not the real reason. You're doing it because you know you can't get caught.
I guarantee you that if tomorrow there was a headline of 500,000 people arrested and sentenced to 10 years for illegal downloads you'd probably never steal music again. And you'd find a way to get music. Legally. You might get less of it, but you'd still get it. So let's not pretend it's for any hatred of the record industry or spoiled artists or even because you're too poor. It's stealing that's easy and risk free and common. And that's why you do it.
Which is fine and valid, actually. But too honest for most folks to admit.