Reason #6 to ignore copyright
You infringe someone's copyright all the time. Yes, you. And yes, all the time. If you've ever forwarded an email without permission, sung a song in public, scanned an image of a photograph (not taken by you), copied an article from a magazine, made a tape off the radio, video taped a performance your kid was in, and so on, you have infringed a copyright. In fact if you quote this blog, without permission, you have infringed my copyright, and I can sue.

So if all of us frequently break copyright law, with or without knowledge of it, why is it that the only thing matters is the manner of infringement. Why are we constantly being labeled as thieves and pirates if we download a movie or a song? I don't get the same label if I copy and paste a newspaper article into an email. I went to a church talent show where I counted at least 17 instances of copyright infringement. I never heard the term "pirate" applied to any of the performers.

The dividing line doesn't seem to be commercial value or whether or not I keep a copy. Not once have I seen someone called a "thief" for copying a magazine or newspaper article (which could qualify under both). The pirate moniker just seems to apply to movies, music, and software, which are the industries that are screaming the loudest.

So the next time someone calls you a thief for infringing copyright, remind them that they're a pirate too.

- posted by Dave @ 1:21 PM