The ability to change features, prices, and availability of things you’ve already paid for is a powerful temptation to corporations.

  • poopkins@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    That’s not a fair example, because 5 Euros has an intrinsic value. The theft here is of intellectual property. Here’s an analogy:

    • When you take a book from a book store without paying for it, you are stealing.
    • When you take a book from a book store without paying for it, make an exact replication of it and return the original, you are stealing intellectual property.
      • Uncle_Bagel@midwest.social
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        7 months ago

        How is creating a popular a novel any different than creating a popular object? Hundreds of hours of labor go into both and the creators are entitled to the full value of said labor.

        Say you have an amazing story about the vacation you took last year, and told all your friends about it. You would justifiably be pissed if you later found out one of your friends was telling that story as if they had done it. It’s the same for someone who writes a book or any other form of media.

                • Nelots@lemm.ee
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                  7 months ago

                  “renting” it is still taking money from the author even if the damage is physically limited to one item.

                  I do see where you’re coming from, but not necessarily. If my friend has zero interest in ever buying said book (or can’t afford to) and would never become a paying customer, there is no downside to sharing a copy. In fact, if they like the book enough, they may even become incentivized to buy themselves a copy or look into the author’s other work legitimately when they otherwise wouldn’t have.

                  This is how/why I pirate most games. I don’t have the type of pocket money to spend on games I don’t know I’ll love, so I pirate them first. If they’re good enough, I’ll buy the actual game on steam later. Spider-Man, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cassette Beasts, etc. are all games I plan to buy when I can afford to. And I can promise I never would have bought Slime Rancher 2 if I hadn’t pirated the first one at some point and enjoyed it.

          • poopkins@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            There is a difference here between lending or resale of a physical product. Can you sell a second hand book? Typically, yes. Can you do mental gymnastics to draw a parallel to reselling a digital version? Evidently, also yes.

          • AeroLemming@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            Piracy can only be considered to be depriving someone of some good if you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the pirate would have paid for access to the content had they not had a pirated copy available. Not only is this not true in the majority of cases, it’s also completely impossible to prove in 99.9% of the cases where it is true.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      7 months ago

      That second dot should be when you make an identical copy of the book without taking it from the shelf. When I get an unlicensed copy of a book, the original is never out of place, not for a moment

      Piracy was huge in Australia back when films were released at staggered times across the world. If it was a winter release in America, it would release six months later in the Australian winter. Try avoiding spoilers online for six months.

      Piracy is less now because things are released everywhere at once and we aren’t harmed by a late release

      Now when companies pull shit like deleting content you think you bought, they encourage people to go around them. Play Station can’t be trusted? Well there are piracy channels that cost only a VPN subscription (and only while you’re collecting media, not after, while watching and storing it) and people will be pushed to those

    • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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      7 months ago

      Only if you subsequently distribute it does that “theft” break the law.

      Also money doesn’t actually have intrinsic value. It’s just fancy paper. Things like food and shelter and clothing, and the tools and materials with which to make them, that’s what intrinsic value is.

      • poopkins@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Making a copy without the copyright is against the law, no matter which way you slice it. Egregious large-scale infringement is usually prosecuted, whereas it’s otherwise settled civilly. Nevertheless, both constitute copyright infringement.

        Indeed I had the terms confused: it’s incorrect to say fiat currency has intrinsic value; it has instrumental value.