The Right to Steal?
The New York Times has an article today about the current discussion of a new copyright law that has been hotly debated in France. I wrote about this some time ago (and my analysis, that the interoperability issue would be dropped, was spot on), and, since I live in France, have been following this issue closely.
I have to admit that I’m shocked by what I read in the New York Times article. The French government has asked an 18-year old to “consult” on this issue, and his attitude is very simple:
“Mr. Ridouan said he was eager and willing to compensate artists, but not at the rate that record companies demanded. As for the amount he can pay, Mr. Ridouan said that for a high school student living with his single mother, he cannot afford much.
“The Internet is a magnificent new way to distribute culture, and why should I be stopped because of my limited means?” Mr. Ridouan said. “The Internet serves my generation the same role as the library did for previous generations.”"
Huh? Because he “cannot afford much” he has the right to steal? Because he’s just a high-school student, he has the right to take anything he wants?
I must be missing something… When I was a high-school student, I couldn’t afford much, but I didn’t steal. My son is a high-school student, and he doesn’t steal. I can’t afford a Mercedes, so does that mean I should be able to just take one?Don’t get me wrong–I think the issue of downloading music is more complex than that, and I do agree with Mr. Ridouan’s comment that, “The price for downloaded music is set at a level that includes the cost of making and shipping a compact disc,” and that “the money they saved is not going back to the artists.” But fostering a culture of theft simply because one cannot afford what one wants–is that what people think is correct? Where will it stop? Will it just stop at downloadable music and video, because these things are immaterial? Or will teenagers start going into store and stealing, say, books or clothes, because they “cannot afford them”?
I do know kids who download a lot of music and video (and I download plenty of Grateful Dead concerts, which are legally traded with the band’s approval), but I’ve never heard such a blatant attitude of stealing as a right. This could be unique to France, which has a strong culture of entitlement, but I tend to think that it is more wide-spread than that. The immateriality of music and video downloads have created a mind-set that stealing is allowed. (As cheating has become commonplace, since students can easily download term-papers.)
No matter what the end result of the downloading question, the broader issue at stake here is one of a culture of theft that is developing. People need to start addressing this issue now, before today’s youth simply decides that whatever they want they can just take. If things go that far, repercussions will be beyond that of music and video, and will lead to a generation with no respect for personal property.
Posted: 5/15/2006 by kirk | Filed under: iPod & iTunes | 5 Comments »
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, or 
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I sort of see it and I know loads of kids who download free music through file
sharing.
It is rather similar to what I did when I was young. My friends and I pooled
our Album buys and then used portable cassette players with mono mikes to
record each others records. I remember being hugely frustrated when the dog
barged into the quietened room and began barking!
I am an avid supporter of iTunes and I have set my teenage kids up with
accounts, but I still rip my own CDs to iTunes (apparently illegal) and borrow
CDs from friends and family.
So when it comes down to it, I suppose we are all up for a little stealing, but I
purchase most of my music from iTunes these day simply because it is
convenient. I have not bought myself a CD since 2005.
It’s certainly not illegal – at least not yet – to rip CDs to iTunes…
From: Kirk’s son
Actually, I am planning a massive action on Apple’s new store on Fift Avenue. The mission is to
secure an iMac, and bring it home. I think I’ll need Jack Flower on this one!
1. What would the use of a Mercedes in Guillestre seriously? A hummer might
be more useful…
2. The problem with this music/video piracy thing is partly one of virtual vs
physical.
When you steal a CD, you know you stole it because AFAIK, there is no CDs
available for free in stores. And because once you stole it, a CD is missing.
When you "steal" a mp3 song by downloading it, how can you tell the
difference since there are plenty of songs available for free on the Internet
and when you finished dowloading it, the file is still there on the server.
Those are certainly valid arguments (even the Hummer one), but the point
remains that this feeling of entitlement suggests that the guy thinks that
anything he cannot afford should be given to him; or he should be able to take
it.
Yes, you can copy a song, or software, or anything digital. It’s not theft in the
traditional meaning of the law, but it can still prevent authors and artists from
getting compensated.