> 1s and 0s, something we've long argued can't be "stolen"
I don't understand this argument. Because it's "1's and 0's" doesn't mean that it can't be stolen. If I take a bunch of photos on my digital camera, and my camera is stolen, are my photos not also 'stolen' from me as I no longer have possession of them?
> Honestly, I can't take any of these arguments seriously,
> if only because they are using the same arguments the
> MPAA/RIAA have been attempting to use against us for
> years.
The MPAA/RIAA argues that making a copy while not depriving the original owner if his/her copy is stealing.
What is being argued here, as I understand it, is that depriving the original owner of their only copy is being called stealing. As I stated in my original comment, the FBI confiscated the drives that those copies are being stored on.
> If I take a bunch of photos on my digital camera, and my camera is stolen, are my photos not also 'stolen' from me as I no longer have possession of them?
Your camera is stolen.
If someone left you your camera, and merely deleted the pictures, and copied them onto their system, that would be copyright infringement at best (ignoring the act of hacking your camera, etc).
Whatever other philisophical argument you want to present is meaningless without an actual law backing it up. While it might feel like theft, it's not.
> is that depriving the original owner of their only copy is being called stealing.
That's the argument. It's flawed. If you make a copy of something an upload it to MU, MU now has a copy. If you delete your original copy, that doesn't bless the copy with special protection. Indeed, by uploading to MU, you probably gave them permissions to distribute the download, as well as other rights. In fact, I'd be surprised if any cloud service like what we are discussing gave you special rights over the hardware that was storing your devices.
MU is the bad guy here. They are the ones that were allegedly doing illegal things while accepting honest customers. It's a shame, yes, but the reason people are up in arms is because MU is the "little" guy fighting against the "evil" government and the vile "MPAA/RIAA." Sorry, but I don't sell out just because I don't like one side.
What is being argued here, as I understand it, is that depriving the original owner of their only copy is being called stealing. As I stated in my original comment, the FBI confiscated the drives that those copies are being stored on.