> this thread started with the blanket statement that we should all just steal it
No, I said that the choice to "pirate" was always available and that the way the copyright industry was trying to remove that choice was problematic.
> The less-than-optimal implementation of copyright doesn't justify theft.
Copyright infringement is not theft. Prevention of copyright infringement doesn't justify abusive and invasive DRM technologies either. The copyright industry should not gain full control over what software is allowed to run on people's computers just because they're losing money.
That's just a legal technicality. Either the viewer got to enjoy the work and the rightsholder got the corresponding money in their bank account, or they didn't. Whether a work was ripped before any payment was made, or the work was legally acquired but then the payment was stolen back from the bank account, the end result is functionally the same.
No, it really isn't. The vast majority of copyright infringement isn't even a criminal offence. It becomes a criminal offence if you do it as part of business, or if you distort trade to a significant amount.
No, I said that the choice to "pirate" was always available and that the way the copyright industry was trying to remove that choice was problematic.
> The less-than-optimal implementation of copyright doesn't justify theft.
Copyright infringement is not theft. Prevention of copyright infringement doesn't justify abusive and invasive DRM technologies either. The copyright industry should not gain full control over what software is allowed to run on people's computers just because they're losing money.