Is torrenting bad

[AION]

What do you guys think? We are going towards an age that AI is allowed to copy everyting. Do you think we need to think different about author's rights since we all stand on the shoulders of giants who had no author's rights ? 

[LordFall]

If you can afford to support an artist and like them you probably should. Becoming part of a fanbase adds value to a product though so I mean morally if you can't afford it but torrent it you're still adding value to the author. It's fundamentally different from stealing because you're using a marginal unit(copy) of a product not the product itself. 

[Hojo]

Its fine. Them saying its not is just a way to guilt trip you. Its copying information you aren't stealing anything. You are using your computer to copy a book really fast essentially.

Corpos rob you blind everyday.

If someone had a banana stand and I scanned a banana for a second and copied its dna then made one out of it and they said you stole my banana I would say f off you have your banana still right there.

They would say i spent all that time picking that banana! Well good for you man. Go sell it to someone who cares.

'You are not entitled to the fruits of your labor'

Edited 21 hours ago by Hojo

[Basman]

If it's something that is still being distributed for profit then it is stealing. 

Using the practices of AI companies as an ethical baseline is just normalizing theft.

[Basman]

AI bros tend to be comfortable with the notion of theft because they never create anything worth stealing themselves.

[aurum]

You can justify it however you want, but it's functionally theft.

I stopped torrenting years ago. It's desperate, leech behavior.

[Hojo]

@aurum Its copywrite infringement not theft. Get your definitions straight.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

No. 

Nothing wrong with torrenting. 

But there is something wrong with theft / copyright infringement.

Torrenting is a tool not inherently bad.

But it can be bad, if the tool is misused.

Edited 21 hours ago by Natasha Tori Maru

[aurum]

1 minute ago, Hojo said:

@aurum Its copywrite infringement not theft. Get your definitions straight.

Your definition of "theft" is not objective or the only one that can be used.

I include copywrite infringement when I say "theft".

[Hojo]

@aurum Theft is taking something from someone, you aren't taking something from someone.

[aurum]

Just now, Hojo said:

@aurum Theft is taking something from someone, you aren't taking something from someone.

Of course you are.

The creator is not being rewarded when they should be. And you still use their creation for your benefit.

I chose to call that "theft".

Split hairs about it if you want. It's the same impulse to take while not giving anything in return. You fundamentally want free value, which is why you torrent.

[aurum]

Consider that if you were financially well-off, you would not torrent.

What does that say about your motivations?

 

[Hojo]

@aurum its not split hairs the words are created because they dont mean the same thing. They are fundamentally different things. One is you stole my product and it no longer exists to me the other is you copied my ability to make a sale that dosent even exist.

One you lost a physical thing the other you lost a potential that is non existent in the first place.

Its like being able to the feed the poor for free but you dont cause you wont get money from it. You wont lose money from feeding the poor but you won't make any either so you decide to not feed them.

God forbid the Venezuelan working a month for 5 dollars be able to watch a free movie play a video game or educate himself without bankrupting himself buying a book.

Edited 21 hours ago by Hojo

[aurum]

26 minutes ago, Hojo said:

@aurum its not split hairs the words are created because they dont mean the same thing. They are fundamentally different things. One is you stole my product and it no longer exists to me the other is you copied my ability to make a sale that dosent even exist.

One you lost a physical thing the other you lost a potential that is non existent in the first place.

Its like being able to the feed the poor for free but you dont cause you wont get money from it. You wont lose money from feeding the poor but you won't make any either so you decide to not feed them.

God forbid the Venezuelan working a month for 5 dollars be able to watch a free movie play a video game or educate himself without bankrupting himself buying a book.

Justification.

Yes, you torrent because you are desperate like a Venezuelan. That's my point.

You can morally justify it if you want. Theft can be morally justified. It's still theft.

And the vast majority of people who torrent are not even Venezuelans, they are mostly first-world people. 

Edited 20 hours ago by aurum

[Hojo]

@aurum Its not theft you aren't taking anything. Copy write infrigment isn't theft its copying. The owner dosent lose anything. Words have definitions. Its not splitting hairs its definitionally not theft.

You are justifying it to be theft. I'm using facts of what words mean. You are making up your own definitions to justify it being theft to Virtue signal.

Edited 20 hours ago by Hojo

[oldhandle]

Fairly certain tons of successful music producers did not initially pay for their copy of their Digital Audio Workstation but then did once they got famous.

I mean, I'm not even famous and it worked that way for me. I bought it eventually, but I probably never would have if I didn't initially torrent it.

So maybe that brings something to the discussion. Or feel free to completely ignore this.

[Joshe]

I torrent shit from time to time. I don't think it would be fair to call me a thief. If I didn't torrent it, they wouldn't get my money anyway because I wouldn't buy it. I don't torrent shit I need. Maybe that's even worse? lol 

I wouldn't torrent programs though... too risky. Don't become a cog in a Russian botnet.

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Joshe

[LordFall]

4 hours ago, aurum said:

You can justify it however you want, but it's functionally theft.

I've noticed your replies often misuse words. It's functionally literally not theft. Piracy does not function like regularly thievery does. 

Theft: the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it

As described merriem-webster dictionary. 

You gotta double check your epistemology my man. 

[AION]

6 hours ago, Basman said:

AI bros tend to be comfortable with the notion of theft because they never create anything worth stealing themselves.

The phone you are holding right now 🤣

[Basman]

Don't try to convince anyone that your not a little thief with your hand stuck in the cookie jar. At least own it. Paying for it later just means you stole it first.

I pirate stuff from time to time myself, but I don't sugarcoat it. This a 🐀