To steal or not to steal

I saw this on boing boing and was reminded of a highly controversial post I was going to write. Yes, you heard right: controversy! In an unprecedented move, I started making notes and organized them in a meaningful way, in order to present coherent arguments and to expose the hypocrisy and idiocy of so-called file-sharers. I even had some supporting viewpoints, and read the comment sections in a series of argument and counter-argument articles published on the German news site Die Zeit, which once again would allow me to demonstrate the unbelievable pretense, delusion and illogicality with which file-sharers defend their behavior and position.

To say that major record companies are not without their dark side is an obvious understatement, but that's no excuse. And that video that was posted on boing boing contains such obvious apples-to-orange-magnet-letters-on-a-fridge comparisons at the end, that the comments applauding it become even more inane. But I think that in the end, all the people involved know wrong from right, and the people participating in the theft of music are merely trying to justify their behavior. And that's the real key, if what they were doing was without a doubt just, lawful and ethical behavior, there would be no need to vehemently defend their behavior. For somebody not participating in file-sharing, it really is a black-and-white, clear-cut issue: You don't steal. And then you don't have to justify what you're doing either.

But the truth is, that stuff's been sitting on my desk for a few months now, and it would bore you more than a snail race in the desert sand to have to read all that junk now. And it would bore me to write it. Maybe I'll reveal some tidbits here and there instead, and with the overwhelming participation in the commenting function on these humble pages, there is a non-zero chance we might discuss one of them one day. Maybe.

Update April 6, 2010:

Henric, thanks for commenting even though my post was a bit on the hostile and accusatory side. I watched the presentation you referred to, and I liked how clearly he stated that he does not endorse the wholesale distribution of material whose copyright belongs to others. And I definitely think that it should not be illegal to creatively use copyrighted work to create new work, as long as you don't financially benfit from it.

I guess I don't really know what kind of business model you have in mind for the music industry that makes more sense. As I said before, I'm not a huge fan of the music industry, but the basic business model coulnd't be much more straight-forward. You sing a song, and they distribute a recording of that song as widely as is profitable or within their means, and charge the customer for that effort. Then you get a share of the profit. The medium that carries that song is only secondary and (I would guess) represents the smallest fraction of the total cost of production and distribution of the content, but there has to be some kind of medium: Be it radio waves, cables, optical discs or magnetic tapes.

Just because you can steal something easily doesn't mean it has no value. Illegally acquiring music simply is extremely easy with today's technology. It's also fairly easy to steal a pack of gum at a gas station or an old lady's groceries. For some people it's easy to steal cars, but you wouldn't argue that cars don't have any value. I think the difference is, that it's much harder for someone to get caught when downloading music for free.

And I strongly disagree that there is no such thing as intellectual property. Passing off somebody else's original ideas or creations as your own is dishonest to a high degree. That's why dissertations have to include a discussion of exsiting literature and you have to provide sources when quoting other people.

The statement that most artists would give away their art for free simply does not hold up. Why would they even sign record contracts in the first place then? Even street musicians have a little hat or cup for you to donate. And even if most artists would prefer to work for free, it's no reason to steal from the ones that do want to get paid for their efforts. I think that art has already been turned into a successful and profitable business. The music industry is trying to come to grips with an unprecedented level of unauthorized duplication and distribution of their original products, but that's about it as far as I can tell. This is not a revolution.

Again, I really appreciate your comment. There are a lot of interesting sides to this issue.