Piracy not theft because its a copy..

[superchunk]

Gnizmo said:

superchunk said:

Copying content is theft.

Companies like Coke and Pepsi have their formulas protected just like software. If Pepsi put out a drink that was identical to Coke, coke would sue them for copyright infringement.

Its the same with medicine. Tylenol and Walmart branded stuff are not identical. They share the same 'active ingredients' but walmart doesn't get sued because the actual formulas are different.

Finally, regardless of the actual legal mumbo jumbo, the simple definition on theft stands. You are acquiring content that you did not create (like your own drawing of the Mona Lisa) and you do not have consent to use, that fits the definition of theft defined by a pirate pages ago.

If you recreate the game with different names, as I have done for Battleship and other classic games early in school, then that is legal. But, to copy someone's content without consent is, by definition, theft.

 

You are wrong on the drug information. The formulas are identical. The patent for a certain chemical only lasts so long, and Acetomeniphine, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen all had theirs run out long ago. This is similar to how Aspirin is used as a generic name in the US but was originally a trademark of Bayer. Other products, like Bleach, are forced to be identical despite the different brand names attached to them. This is also why not all drugs have a generic avialable for them. If it is still legally protected then companies can continue to ream you on the price.

Furthermore you commited the exact crime you are crying foul over now. People have done nothing more than copy the rules and look of a retail game and released it for free to a population of people. This is done on a much grander scale over the internet, but the principle is the same. Hopefully going through life with only one hand from now on won't be too hard on you.

1. I'm not wrong. Pfizer puts out a brand new drug. A week later some generic company makes the generic version. That is WAY before the patent runs out, its legal because they actually different formulas to get the similar result. That's how the industry works and why Pfizer will actually pay doctors to prescribe their drug and advertise etc to try to ensure people don't get the generic.

EDIT: My time frame of 'week' is an exageration. It takes time to figure out Pfizer's forumal, modify it, test, and create. That is the delay from Pfizer's launch and generic launch.

2. My battleboat example is not a copy of battleship software game. Just as The Conduit is not a copy of Halo or Perfect Dark. Are they very similar? yes. Do they follow the same basic premise? yes. Are they the same game. No. As I stated I, like every developer out there for the most part, took and idea from an earlier work and created a new experience from that.