File Sharing Is Not Theft

[JackSpratts]

wt news

thought i'd pass it along...

File sharing is not theft.
Mark Rasch

A number of years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt with a man named Dowling, who sold "pirated" Elvis Presley recordings, and was prosecuted for the Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property. The Supremes did not condone his actions, but did make it clear that it was not "theft" -- but technically "infringement" of the copyright of the Presley estate, and therefore copyright law, and not anti-theft statutes, had to be invoked.

So "copying" is not "stealing" but can be "infringing." That doesn't have the same sound bite quality as Valente's position.

no, it's not the same sound bite, it's not even close.

so there you have it. according to the law, according to the highest court in the land, copying is not stealing.

- js.