Comment Re:Really? (Score 1) 463
I can accept that stealing might not be the correct term. But the concept of ownership of some type of knowledge or art seems reasonable to me and I think to most people in our societies. If I try to sell a piece of fake art as if it were an original of some other artist, that's fraud and it's seen as something that harms someone in some way. If I sneak into a theater without paying, people consider that something along the lines of stealing, even if the play isn't sold out and I've not actually bumped a paying customer out of their seat.
In the end I think it's a matter of finding the right balance that works for the greatest good of everyone in our society. Copyright attempts to encourage innovation so that society in general can benefit from that innovation. We certainly have received the benefits of that innovation. I'm sure that it's gone too far in many cases (patent trolls, seemingly endless copyrights), but it certainly seems better than the bad old days of the jealously guarded secrets of the trade guilds where that knowledge was kept secret as a way of protecting their financial interests.
Just my 2c
