Interesting. So let's say a celebrity - maybe Winona Ryder - is walking through a store and drops an expensive dress in her bag and walks out without paying. But Winona is going to wear that dress to the Oscars later that week, and that will undoubtedly increase the market and opportunities related to that dress. Was Winona's peccadillo therefore moral/ethical?
I agree with your argument about overall market. In your scenario someone does get hurt economically. Just because it is worn at the Oscars, and sales on that dress improve it doesn't mean that the shopkeeper that was stolen from isn't at a loss from the theft.
But another way to look at the whole picture is if I buy a book, and chose to scan it into digital form, or type in to a ebook form, I am free to do so (so long as I do not sell it). So by downloading the version I am just cutting out the time and labor of scanning or typing it myself. My downloading would be akin to fair use. The person offering it for download though is questionable unless they have a way to make you prove you already own the book.
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Re:
Interesting. So let's say a celebrity - maybe Winona Ryder - is walking through a store and drops an expensive dress in her bag and walks out without paying. But Winona is going to wear that dress to the Oscars later that week, and that will undoubtedly increase the market and opportunities related to that dress. Was Winona's peccadillo therefore moral/ethical?
I agree with your argument about overall market. In your scenario someone does get hurt economically. Just because it is worn at the Oscars, and sales on that dress improve it doesn't mean that the shopkeeper that was stolen from isn't at a loss from the theft.
But another way to look at the whole picture is if I buy a book, and chose to scan it into digital form, or type in to a ebook form, I am free to do so (so long as I do not sell it). So by downloading the version I am just cutting out the time and labor of scanning or typing it myself. My downloading would be akin to fair use. The person offering it for download though is questionable unless they have a way to make you prove you already own the book.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by JZahorsky.
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