Russell,

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 04:08:52 +1300, Russell McMahon wrote:

> > www.allofmp3.com
> 
> > I'm sure the RIAA lawyers lose sleep over this site, and there's 
> > nothing
> > they can do about it because of the intellectual property laws in 
> > Russia.
> 
> It seems strange to me to pay people good money for stolen music when 
> one may as well steal it for free :-). Of course it's not technically 
> stolen because theft is not illegal in Russia, or at least theft of IP 
> isn't :-).

Actually, using the word "theft" is a psychological trick by the music (and software) industries - and it's a 
misuse of the word, at least under English law (and I believe New Zealand law is based on it).  Theft is 
removing someone's property from them, with the intention of permanently depriving them of it.  That's why a 
separate law had to be made when people started taking cars to drive home and then just leaving them beside 
the road - it wasn't theft as they weren't permanently depriving the owner of the car because they would get 
it back, so "taking and driving away" had to be brought in.

Things like "potential profits" are not property, and the owner of "intellectual property" isn't deprived of 
it by someone copying it - you'd have to destroy their own copies for that to happen.  Copying music without 
permission is a copyright violation, not theft.  Copyright law varies a lot from place to place, including 
being absent in some places!

Cheers,


Howard Winter
St.Albans, England


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