I see the flaw in the reasoning that copying something immaterial is like stealing but I'm able to go over it because I'm already convinced that copying is harmful for authors.
I read a lot of discussions like this one and they all tiptoe around this disputed argument.
I'd like to find a better example but still haven't read anything convincing.
I suppose a good example may not exist because nothing so perfectly similar exists. Personally, as a small author, I think the most harm is not the financial one but mostly the psychological one. The sense of treachery is unbearable or at least difficult to cope with and it is by no doubt a harm.
It's a bit like sharing someone's secret with others. You are not supposed to do that and the author may not intend to share it like this and he may be harmed by your carelessness.
This whole time, I've been trying to distill the concept of theft down to its purest form to draw the parallel, because yes, there isn't anything exactly identical to piracy. It's unfortunately how many criminals justify their behavior, even in court: "the law doesn't explicitly state that this particular flavor is illegal". Think "spirit of the law," not "letter of the law," and the apparent "flaw in reasoning" (due to a subtle legal dissimilarity) becomes, in the very least, irrelevant.
But I digress. (I've never cared much about tip-toeing.)
I agree (mostly) about the psychological aspect, although maybe the "secret" analogy won't work for some (they'd say: "then you shouldn't have published").
For me, that psychological impact feels like someone is telling me "Your work is good enough, so I'll take it, but you are worth nothing to me, so I won't pay you for those years of effort." It's incredibly dehumanizing.
I agree.
That's exactly what their actions are saying.
Sometimes I think a concept is so plainly basic that I find it difficult to define it.
I think "piracy is harmful" is one of these concepts and it's really hard to properly explain it.
You made some really good points, thank you.
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I mostly agree with you.
I see the flaw in the reasoning that copying something immaterial is like stealing but I'm able to go over it because I'm already convinced that copying is harmful for authors.
I read a lot of discussions like this one and they all tiptoe around this disputed argument.
I'd like to find a better example but still haven't read anything convincing.
I suppose a good example may not exist because nothing so perfectly similar exists. Personally, as a small author, I think the most harm is not the financial one but mostly the psychological one. The sense of treachery is unbearable or at least difficult to cope with and it is by no doubt a harm.
It's a bit like sharing someone's secret with others. You are not supposed to do that and the author may not intend to share it like this and he may be harmed by your carelessness.
This whole time, I've been trying to distill the concept of theft down to its purest form to draw the parallel, because yes, there isn't anything exactly identical to piracy. It's unfortunately how many criminals justify their behavior, even in court: "the law doesn't explicitly state that this particular flavor is illegal". Think "spirit of the law," not "letter of the law," and the apparent "flaw in reasoning" (due to a subtle legal dissimilarity) becomes, in the very least, irrelevant.
But I digress. (I've never cared much about tip-toeing.)
I agree (mostly) about the psychological aspect, although maybe the "secret" analogy won't work for some (they'd say: "then you shouldn't have published").
For me, that psychological impact feels like someone is telling me "Your work is good enough, so I'll take it, but you are worth nothing to me, so I won't pay you for those years of effort." It's incredibly dehumanizing.
I agree.
That's exactly what their actions are saying.
Sometimes I think a concept is so plainly basic that I find it difficult to define it.
I think "piracy is harmful" is one of these concepts and it's really hard to properly explain it.
You made some really good points, thank you.