Quote:
Originally Posted by evil nickname
In The Netherlands it's legal to make copies of copyrighted works of art for personal practice, study and use. At the same time, I cannot walk into the Rijksmuseum and take home Rembrandt's De Nachtwacht.
I understand artist's desire to equate "illegal" downloading of music with theft, but it the comparison just doesn't work. When you steal something, you take something from the original owner, who doesn't have the thing anymore. When you download something, a copy is made, and the original owner loses nothing. Perhaps in the case of artists, they lose a sale, but I wouldn't even argue that people who download music would buy all they download when they couldn't download it.
It's a complex issue, but I believe that the current copyright laws are completely inadequate for this day and age.
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I feel a thread split looming... however...
Before I start, when I say you below I mean it in the general sense not you Evil Nickname or anyone else specifically :)
I find it astounding that anyone could call this complex or a grey area.
The copyright holder has the right to control who has access to their work.
You have illegally obtained something that you should have paid for. That sounds to me like a very good definition of stealing.
Now, some theft acts, the UK Theft Act of 1968 for example, is probably behind the times and needs updating to reflect the fact that you have stolen something digital not physical.
However, the Copyright Designs and Patents Act of 1988 is VERY clear:
Extracts...
Rights covered
The law gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and typographical arrangement of published editions, rights to control the ways in which their material may be used.
Restricted acts
It is an offence to perform any of the following acts without the consent of the owner:
Copy the work.
Rent, lend or issue copies of the work to the public.
Perform, broadcast or show the work in public.
Adapt the work.
Infringement of copyright by copying.
(1)The copying of the work is an act restricted by the copyright in every description of copyright work; and references in this Part to copying and copies shall be construed as follows.
(2)Copying in relation to a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work means reproducing the work in any material form.
This includes storing the work in any medium by electronic means.
So, it is illegal, not "illegal".
You have stolen something you have no right to and should have paid for and it is only technically not Theft because the theft act needs updating, it is absolutely still stealing.