this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2023
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You have probably never 'owned' a computer game. Even when you had discs/cartridges you owned the disc/cartridge, but had a single license for the game.
That's why it was technically allowed to copy the disk for your own use, but not to share - you only had one license.
Steam is the same, just without the disk.
Legally speaking, there is almost zero difference between a computer game disc/cartridge and a paper book. Are you so deluded as to argue that you don't own your copies of books as well?
Let's face it: the situation today is the way it is because some software industry shysters saw the opportunity to pull one over on the courts (with technology-illiterate judges who think "X on a computer" is somehow suddenly different than "X" because ⋆˙⟡ magic ⟡˙⋆) and took it.
I did quote owned in that comment.
Legally I think you own the book, but not it's contents? So legally it would be the same? (The content is copyrighted so you can't reproduce it etc)
The real difference is in usage, with a book, even an ebook, if you have it you effectively own it. They can't stop you reading it.
Unfortunately with games nowerdays everything checks in with servers or is online only, so if the publisher or distributor say so, you lose access. The only way round that is cracked copies or DRM free games like on GoG.
You own the book and you own your copy of its contents, but you don't hold* the copyright.
Why do people have such a hard time phrasing it clearly like that, and instead say things like "you don't own the contents?"
(* A copyright is a temporary monopoly privilege granted by Congress. It isn't itself property and is therefore "held," not "owned.")
Is the ownership of property in general not also just a "temporary monopoly privilege granted by Congress" or whatever the local legal authority is? If there were no laws protecting property rights, backed up by the power of some sort of government, those property rights would be meaningless.
No, it's not. In stark and diametric contrast to copyright, ownership of actual property is a natural right.
Read the Constitution: copyright law has the express purpose "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts." It is nothing more than a means to that end. And in particular, it is absolutely not, in any way whatsoever, some sort of entitlement for creators.
I have seen a few of your arguments, and it sounds like you are being very pedantic, and are totally ignoring the big picture entirely.
This came to be because people would hand discs to their friends who would then copy the disc and hand it back, resulting in widespread stealing of the game.
People don't generally photocopy books to give to others
That's a lie. Copyright infringement and theft are not the same thing, and the difference is as meaningful as the difference between murder and rape.
Quit using dishonest loaded language. I do not accept your framing of this debate.
Not exactly, but most people realize that there's some significant overlap between the two and that distributing copies of works that you don't have to right to is diluting something of value from the creators of those works.
I don't know why you thought that comparison would help your stance here...I don't know which one is murder and which one is rape, but neither one is okay.
You're fuckin weird man.