David S. Wallens wrote:Zomby Woof wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: That's what I've said all along, and why I don't feel bad for not paying for that stuff. Charge a reasonable price and I will pay it. Get greedy, and I won't.Do you also steal other goods and services that you think are overpriced?
The difference comes when you say "goods". "Stealing" as we all grew up to know it involved taking a physical item from someone. Taking that item not only gained you the item, but directly denied someone else that item and all of the benefits that went with possession. It was a very clear winner loser situation and our upbringings typically were very anti winning without in some way earning the victory. Our upbringings also tended to emphasize not doing harm to others.
When you talk about something like music or television "stealing" it means you gained access to it without permission. The original owner still has it and anyone else who wants it can still get it. Then you see the original owner still making large amounts of money on the product so it is hard to see harm. The "stealing" is also justified by our cassette tape and rewritable CD and DVD upbringing. We were told it was legally fine to copy things as long as we were not making money off of them.
I have bittorrented very few things in my life and don't really buy that much entertainment so I don't have a huge stake in this debate, but I don't see it as black and white as people try to make it out to be.