Copying content is not the same as theft | Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week

" ... It pains me to read the words of experienced and presumably knowledgeable people when they trot out such absolute nonsense. Digital goods (which are copied) are nothing like physical goods (which are given and taken). This is not complicated. Here are some of the differences: If you steal my shoes, I don’t have my shoes any more. If you copy my Brachiosaurus paper, I still have it. Only one person can steal my shoes. Any number can copy my Brachiosaurus paper. Everyone agrees that stealing is bad, but plenty of people think that copying is good. (Regarding that last point, note that I am not at the moment taking a position either way on whether copying is good or bad; just recognising that its morality is much more open to debate than that of stealing.) ..."