Tired of hearing copyright infringement called “theft” by all sort of people in the content industries? James Murdoch of News Corp is just the latest in a long line of  industry shills who favour this wrong-headed argument. I could write a long retort to that statement, but I will simply reproduce a comment from The Guardian that explains why this argument is wrong better than any long essay ever could:

“Copyright infringement is not theft.
If I make an exact copy of a handbag, I haven’t stolen the handbag.
If I make an exact copy of a twat, I haven’t stolen James Murdoch.”

I bow my head in awe.


2 Comments

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Oliver from the Indu · March 18, 2010 at 5:34 am

If you stole the recipe to make Carlsberg, and then made your own identical lager and sold it with the Carlsberg label that would definitely be theft wouldn't it?

Anyway, call it what you will, copyright infringement, copyright theft or piracy, check out the latest ICC report on the cost to the creative industries of piracy (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8573162.stm). In the UK alone, losses could be up to 254,000 jobs and 7.8bn euros by 2015.

At the Trust, we think that along with education campaigns there's a clear role for this type of enforcement of the law which helps ensure the thousands of people involved behind the scenes in making films can earn a living.

Thanks,

Ollie from the Trust

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Andres · March 18, 2010 at 10:11 am

The ICC report is highly flawed, will be writing about it in the next couple of days.

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