Minecraft creator says "Piracy" isn't theft

[Messianic]

Originally Posted by Massive Marc [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I really don't know where to draw the line with copyrighting or pirating.

I guess this is how I feel, too. I feel like protecting people's livelihoods who make something that can be replicated so easily is a waste of time, like fighting against technology or nature.

It's true that people who use duped copies of stuff are acquiring something they would have had to pay for. But it's questionable whether any property rights are violated because someone didn't have to pay for your product and got it from someone else. Property rights only deal with negative liberties - i.e. I can't physically steal something from you, destroy your property, and a portion of that is intellectual property - I can't take your product and re-sell it and make a profit off your intellectual property.

But I just don't see where property rights themselves are violated. If doing something which does not physically steal something from someone else nor earn a monetary reward based on someone else's intellectual property is unlawful because it harms the creator of the product - is offering completely free medical services unlawful because it harms hospitals and private practices' ability to maintain employees, etc? Because offering such services for a prolonged period of time would harm that industry.

Is offering free food unlawful because it hurts farms, supermarket retailers, etc?

If something can be replicated (after creation) at no cost, I have trouble seeing why it deserves protection, as long as the first generation audience/customers had to make a purchase to acquire it.

But i'm torn. These are just my thoughts, not necessarily my hardened view...