Re:Lawsuit over online book lending could bankrupt Internet ...
by Semaphor on Tuesday June 02, 2020 @12:51PM
(#23393125)
> Turns out "people are bored and entertainment isn't as freely available" is maybe not a great justification for stealing people's stuff.
Luckily absolutely nothing was stolen.
Re:Lawsuit over online book lending could bankrupt Internet ...
by arkades on Tuesday June 02, 2020 @05:04PM
(#23396304)
You can assert copying isn't stealing, but the part where "I have something I didn't have a minute ago, and would normally have to pay money to acquire it, but didn't" is pretty clear-cut.
Just because someone wasn't deprived of the thing you now have doesn't mean they weren't deprived of something of value, and pretending otherwise is a juvenile see-no-evil defense.
Re:Lawsuit over online book lending could bankrupt Internet ...
by iopq on Tuesday June 02, 2020 @06:21PM
(#23397107)
That's literally why it's not stealing. It's not legal, but it's also by definition not theft.
Re:Lawsuit over online book lending could bankrupt Internet ...
by unreal37 on Tuesday June 02, 2020 @10:51PM
(#23399163)
Agreed. "Piracy isn't theft" is such a cliche in these arguments.
The people downloading the books, music, movies, etc are getting something that they want, that normally costs money, for free.
Come up with a new word if it isn't theft. But it looks and acts like theft.
I also know of a large number of libraries (e.g., NYPL) that suspended their requirement that people verify their address, so realistically, anyone anywhere could register an ebook-only library card and avail themselves.