Lots of rationalizations for why it's OK to steal copyrighted material - but none of them any good.
If an artist wants to go direct and market his music via the internet and cut out the middle man, they can do it.
But if they're using the resources of Capitol or another production and distribution company, that company (who's fronting the cash for the album) has a right to make a good return on their investment.
Whether some group thinks they're making "too much" or the artist isn't getting a big enough cut isn't at issue - that's a contractual arrangement between the artist and the label. No one else is involved nor has a say in it.
What's next, bootlegging electronic copies of Harry Potter because JK Rowling isn't getting a big enough royalty - or maybe is making too much money?
BTW - copyright infringement IS theft. Minor technical differences are legal semantics.
Theft doesn't have to involve a material object. It also occurs if you improperly copy my ideas (as in patent infringement) or works (as in copyright infringement) without permission and without compensating me. Patent and copyright infringement are merely special treatments for particular types of non-material theft. "Theft of service" as in tapping into phone or cable TV lines without paying for it is another kind of non-material theft handled by similarly special legal treatments.
Illegally copying my work (book, record, whatever) is stealing it because the copyright owner doesn't get their due compensation for it. No difference than stealing the physical book, record, etc.
If an artist wants to go direct and market his music via the internet and cut out the middle man, they can do it.
But if they're using the resources of Capitol or another production and distribution company, that company (who's fronting the cash for the album) has a right to make a good return on their investment.
Whether some group thinks they're making "too much" or the artist isn't getting a big enough cut isn't at issue - that's a contractual arrangement between the artist and the label. No one else is involved nor has a say in it.
What's next, bootlegging electronic copies of Harry Potter because JK Rowling isn't getting a big enough royalty - or maybe is making too much money?
BTW - copyright infringement IS theft. Minor technical differences are legal semantics.
Theft doesn't have to involve a material object. It also occurs if you improperly copy my ideas (as in patent infringement) or works (as in copyright infringement) without permission and without compensating me. Patent and copyright infringement are merely special treatments for particular types of non-material theft. "Theft of service" as in tapping into phone or cable TV lines without paying for it is another kind of non-material theft handled by similarly special legal treatments.
Illegally copying my work (book, record, whatever) is stealing it because the copyright owner doesn't get their due compensation for it. No difference than stealing the physical book, record, etc.
