Shared or Stolen ?

 

Filesharers are often called thieves - we're accused of 'stealing' content. But why? 

Why, one user asked, do they keep using the word "stolen" when all the stuff in the booty has been paid for?

Bigtruckgirl at PMBD answered this question eloquently:


Because the word "stolen" sounds much worse than "share." 

Simple fact of the matter is that you are right, all the things in the booty were paid for and it is the right of the person who paid for it to share it if they wish. 

If I buy a candy bar and want to share it with my children, I can. Same concept as the booty. 

BUT using their mentality, if I purchased the candy bar and then gave some to my children, my children would be accessories to a crime. They must have "stole" the candy instead of me "sharing" the candy. 

Very flawed line of thought in my opinion. 

I think this whole mentality though has been brought about by the various media "file sharing" suits that are out there. The thing that I think most people fail to understand is that a CD or movie will play on anything. A PC, DVD player, CD Player, iPod etc. It is not an actual proprietary medium (well iTunes is because of their file system, but they play be the same rules as the other music), thus different rules apply to those. A lot of those suits fall under the DMCA. 

In order to use the files being shared here, you HAVE to have the computer program Sims 2 (and companion expansion/stuff packs), which has it's own EULA, which ALLOWS for FREE file sharing. 

Whole different ballgame, if I am understanding things correctly – and most of the anti freesite/sharesite advocates muddy the water with mixing the situations together. They are two separate things, if you read all the info out here (I've read some, but by no means all of it and been part of Cease and Desist letters for sites where they were accused of violating the DMCA). Thing is they don't want to read or explain to their members. If they do, then their source of income stops. In the end, it is all about the money.