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¿Question #459?
ejmowrer: If you had a ray gun that made perfect replicas of solid objects and you used it against someone's will to replicate something of theirs for yourself, would that be stealing?

oldhoss: Stealing the object, no? Stealing design or other intellectual property, perhaps if the actual item is protected by patent, trademark, copyright, etc.
MartinWin: No.
Woelf: That would presumably fall under copyright laws.
dejinshathe: Not under the law where I live it wouldn't, no.
sprice06: Only if they had some sort of propietary ownership of the replicated item. Otherwise, it would just be another 'thing' to add to our world of 'stuff'.
Caerid: Yes
Spirit of 70: Yes.
bcooperok: Hmm. Like the Mona Lisa?
TunaSled: No way. I'ts replicating. They still have theirs, don't they?
kathleenryan: no
jessitron: No, because it wouldn't deprive them of anything.
Emile: No. It might be illegal replicating, if such a law had been enacted after the gun was invented. I would think, though, you would have a nice legal freebee for a while, until case law could catch up to the new technology.
GrimJester: Probably not.
brandyinindiana: Not when the situation could easily be resolved by finding a gun and shooting them in the face.
theredwagoneer: Only if there was an IP violation.
Polgara: only if they somehow own the design, your not stealing their object, only the shape/function etc of it.
shteev: I don't think that it would, but I think that they've been having trouble in Second Life with exactly that scenario.
Wes Hope: no
Apparatus: Yes
BUDDA: Yes
Lord Baldrick: only if the concept of the object is important, rather that the physical object itself...
BookandGame: Depends if the RIAA or MPAA have anything to say about it.
gamemark: Yes. Gosh, I love being able to solve moral dilemnas at the drop of a hat!
sigmazero13: sounds vaguely similar to copying software. I say yes, but not stealing from the person who owns the item, but rather stealing from the entity that makes the item you replicated
DHEK: No it wouldn't. It might be piracy (or something along those lines) though, for certain objects. But for some other objects it would be totally fine.
InShaneee: Not really stealing, but bootlegging.
ZeroZilla: Are you asking this to try to justify some form of piracy?
PsyJam: No, it'd be replicating.
Geosphere: yes
Ebon Wendigo: Nope
bear23: no
Brentoon: not at all because they still have it dont they?
matthewjhoskins: No.
Beyak: no
aramis: Yes, but not from them.
MightyMike: only if they have intellectual rights to it (according to the music industry)
POvidiusNaso: No.
dakyon: No, they would still possess the original.
dengue: So can I replicate your mom then?
bigbadsteve: nah
lokipm: no, because you haven't deprived them of the object
dragonewtking: no, that would be brilliant
heretik: not at all.
heli: good philosophical query. I suppose it relates to copyrights and patents.
Musti: If it left the original undamaged, it wouldn't be stealing. If you would otherwise had bought the item, it's unethical.
scriptorum: No, stealing is an antiquated paradigm; it's copying, which has a different ethical result depending on the context.
Big Bad Lex: I think there may be copyrite issues
MaksimSmelchak: It wouldn't technically be stealing since the owner still retains the object. This is probably one of those "spirit of the law vs. letter of the law" questions. It really dpends on the object being "replicated" and what's done with it. I can see situations in which it could be construed as theft and situations in which it would not be considered theft. One thing's for certain though, if it has anything to do with Star Wars and/or George Lucas, HE would consider it stealing!
brainrob: No
KDSN: i dont think so
Nem Menuu: Yes. It would be like photocopying someones term paper. They still have, but you unjustly gain the benefit of their hard work.
rawdawg: no?
jellospike: No. Anyone saying otherwise is a bad guy. Don't duplicate him.
ZombyDawg: No, they would still have the original. They would have lost nothing. But then they'll go and get a lawyer and the next thing you know is that it IS stealing because of licensing and usage rights or some kind of bullshit.
Legend Dan: No, because they still have it.
sourwyrm: not quite
sbszine: No. Sharing is cool.
StormKnight: Copyright violation maybe
TMJJS: no
skrutsch: Probably.
stephensj23: No.
The Unbeliever: 42
Belash: my head hurts. and no.
ThatFalafelGirl: no. because they would still have it. So i guess it would be plagarism.
Sceadeau: Stealing requires removal of the object from someone else. It wouldn't be stealing. Although, if we get into a theory on a quantum level, it may be stealing, but not from the person whose thing you targetted.
Lord_Prussian: Only if it was intellectual property or they have better lawyers.
KnobDoctor: Depends. Is it copyrighted?
JoeSteadman: nope
snoozefest: probably
Quest22: No
ekted: No
batman: no
kennyb: it would be stealing
hibikir: I really don' belive in IP. Why promote scarcity where there isn't any?
Malacoda: Nope. The 'original' is conceptual at best.
Randy Cox: Probably
Bearcat89: Oui.
agnespoodle: Stealing, no. Copyright violation, probably.
AlorielLelyn: No, because they still have their's. However, it would still be rude.
filnari: Not by current laws.
fellonmyhead: No
WasQ: no, that a replica
puffinge: I'm sure the RIAA would object to this.
gnomehome: Give me the gun, and I'll try to find out for you.
thugbert: this is kind of like filesharing
yossarians: no, it would be counterfitting
Grimwold: technically no, since stealing of property is by defined by "deprivation", and in this case you aren't depriving them of their object.
lexen: what do i look like a liberal judge?
Mozbink: You already have something similar called a camera and it is not steeling. However if someone else uses your "solid"replica without permission then they are stealing.
shumyum: Are you going somewhere with this, counselor?
DangerMouse: Uhhhh...
darthcliff: No
Ludocrazy: No
chaddyboy_2000: No.
P.O.G.G.: I don't think that would be stealing. It could be a breach of copyright or something though.
dietevil: From an intellectual property standpoint, yes. But you stole not from the owner of the object but from the manufacturer.
raolsson: I think this is covered in copyright and trademark law. The question is really who are you stealing from? I recommend getting permission. Let me know when the gun is ready for field testing.
Shakar: If it's a matter of live & death, the answer is yes, if not then no.
geberus: nope
jaredh: Yes
Claytonius Maximus: 1) where'd you get the drugs (2) are you willing to share
louiseh: It would be impolite, which is far more important.
BobDodgerBlue: No, unless it was intellectual property they created.
djflippy: No, not unless it was their intellectual property.
dtolman: yes.
Pseudo Nymh: Only if I could benefit financially from it.
jttm: This is one of those DVD piracy questions, isn't it?
Blackwind: no
LudesFactor: depends on whether it could be considered "fair use", otherwise it would be pirating
Draugnar: not unless it devalued their item (say a one of a kind stamp)
WonderCinz: No.
djlg: No. And neither's making a copy by old fashioned methods.
Linnaeus: No, of course not. Stealing requires actually removing the item from that person's ownership. How in God's name did you come up with this question, and would it be theft if I stole it?
janiera: No
HBGlover: Yes it would. Increasing the supply of object x decreases its value. It would be stealing.
CortexBomb: From them or from the person who made it? From them, no. From the person who would originally have sold it to me, yes; not that it would dissuade me
Flyspeck23: No, because they won't loose anything.
melissa: No. And where can I get one?
kunnagh: No - stealing is the removal of someone elses privilege of enjoying their possessions, which you wouldn't be doing. Unless it was a unique object, and part of the enjoyment was the uniqueness.... in which case they should get out more!
UhhhClem: No, but it'd sure be confusing when she showed up at work and found she was already sitting at her desk.
dakarp: It depends whether the object contained protected intellectual property or anything private. Probably not, though.
CheetohFingers: maybe
Aldie: no.
tragicpoet: No, it would be piracy
MisterCranky: Don't go this route, Luthor.... You can't handle the Bizarros.
Friendless: no
Debate: Absolutely not. You can only own things, not concepts.
seppo21: It might be a copyright infringement.
Geniesse: You'd be stealing the value of their object, if it was a rare one.
ValJor: No, not at all
chad56s: No
Fawkes: Okay, now that's just a really weird ethical hypothetical.
Jim_P: Yes
skelebone: Nope, just copying.
EYE of NiGHT: Replication is not theft. It is passing off.
CDRodeffer: Did you pay for the ray gun and the mc^2 energy to operate it?