this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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That's.. a good argument. I never thought of it like that.
Is it stealing if you don't pay for the cinema? You don't own anything new after.
Is it stealing if you don't pay for your haircut? You don't own anything new after.
Is it stealing if you don't pay for your car service? You don't own anything new after.
In those three cases, you're receiving a service (showing you the movie, cutting your hair and servicing your car), so yeah, you're stealing their work, which is arguably much worse than stealing objects.
In contrast, copying a copy of a movie or a game or whatever without removing the original or even a copy of it is not stealing.
And before you chime in with "but future income!", those profits are hypothetical, so even in the most uncharitable rational definition, you have stolen something that someone MIGHT have gotten.
Copying is not theft and you can't steal something that doesn't and might never exist.
The gray area where I live is that streaming is not piracy. I didn't pay for it, but I also didn't retain a copy.
Putlocker and Wootly were my go-to spots in college because I wouldn't get a piracy warning from my internet provider.
If there are better places these days, please let me know. I miss seeing new movies the same day they hit the digital marketplace