🚀 go-pugleaf

> [Barry Shein] I'm not sure we should take their [SPA's] emotion-loaded
> word "piracy" at face value.

> [Peter da Silva] If the pirates (yes, pirates) are so damn good, let
> them write their own freeware...


Piracy is an ancient crime of violence.  The crime of Copyright
Infringement is of relatively recent origin and is non-violent.
`Piracy' is an inappropriate metaphor for copyright infringement.

Even `theft' doesn't quite make it as a designation for infringement,
since the two crimes are really distinct (e.g., `theft of software'
means that someone broke into the Computerland store and stole 50
copies of Lotus 1-2-3.  Making 50 copies of 1-2-3 in your basement is
a different crime.)

My suggestion?  The most straightforward and descriptive designation
is `illegal copying'.  If you must use a colloquial term, call it
`bootlegging'.  That crime is indeed quite similar to copyright
infringement, and is a much more apt metaphor than is `piracy'.