Is copying copyrighted material stealing? If you think it is, explain how?
Is copying copyrighted material stealing?
Sun, 2009-03-15 13:12
#1
Is copying copyrighted material stealing?
Wed, 2009-03-18 09:37
#2
I don't know if it is
I don't know if it is "stealing" or not. But I do believe that, as Christians, we should follow the laws of the land as long as they are not in conflict with the law of God. This would include copyright laws. See this post.
Wed, 2009-03-18 11:15
#3
So you would agree that it
So you would agree that it is not wrong to copy copyrighted material; rather, you argue that it is wrong to break copyright laws? So if I lived in a location where copyright laws didn't apply, it would be perfectly acceptable to copy copyrighted material?
Thu, 2009-03-19 05:32
#4
The state says it is. But
The state says it is. But consider this. Law or no law, not giving credit where credit is due is wrong. I don't need the state beating me over the head to realize this. Sure I could copy this article word for word and pretend that is was my own, but in the end it is unacceptable morally. And besides I would be found out and discredited. Failing to give credit where credit is due is a vice not a crime.
Thu, 2009-03-19 07:08
#5
So you argue that it is
So you argue that it is wrong to fail to give credit, but it is otherwise morally acceptable to copy and distribute at will. In otherwords, don't lie about authorship when you share. I agree.
Jeffery Tucker's article is very good. It is thoughtful and well written. I'd say it's a caliber or two better than Paul Green's article -- which also had merit.
Fri, 2009-09-18 21:20
#6
Yes, it is stealing.
The term I hear is "intellectual property." So, as Ron says, giving credit where it is due. If I have published something, I have claimed it as my own. It is wrong for anyone else to plagiarize me, but also it should not be copied and disseminated without my express permission. The problem: everybody is doing it and we've become immune to the issue (just like file sharing with music and writeable CDs). There are some provisions for copying material. For example, journals allow you to make 1 copy in order for personal or scholarly study. So each of my students can copy an article from a journal, for their own, personal study. Most textbooks, however, are not as willing to share. Copying a chapter or portion from that text and disseminating that to my students, even giving it due credit (citing the source) is stealing. UNLESS...the authors have chosen to state that copies may be made freely. This is what you guys do here with your music and I think that's great. I'd like to think that if I write a book or chapter one day, I'd like for it to be free from copyright laws. But it's a lot of work/energy/yourself that you put into a creation like that...and I can understand people clinging tightly to their possession and wanting their monetary compensation for that. Personally, I think that should be different between the academic and the non-academic book worlds.
Christina
Sat, 2009-09-19 11:32
#7
Christina, you might want to
Christina, you might want to look at the thread on Chris' facebook page where there was a long (LONG) discussion about property rights. There were 83 comments! So maybe you don't want to.....depends on how much time you have! LOL But it was pretty interesting...we came to an impasse....