Hacker News Reader

Yes there's definitely some moral gray area here (forgetting about the legality for a moment), which the article sort of mentioned. This isn't some dude reposting memes for the lulz. The dude's signing deals with Viacom for posts at more than $30k a pop; all off the backs of actual creators. On the flip side, where do you draw the line?

View on HN

>where do you draw the line?

How about the internet? Once you publicly share something on the world wide web, you have crossed that line because anyone can then simply copy and paste. It's naive to expect otherwise.

I suppose you also think people who leave a lawn gnome outside when they live in a high traffic area are just asking to be vandalized? Opportunity is no excuse for theft.

Nope! Thats a physical thing that can't be "copy and pasted". If someone takes it from you, you no longer have it, so that's why it's "stealing".

Digital things are infinitely reproducible and cost nothing to copy and paste.

When someone copies and pastes something you shared with the entire world on the internet, you still have that thing.

Copy & pasting digital things != stealing physical things.

That's not the point dude, it's wrong. It's not yours, and you don't have the right to do whatever you want with other people's property, because "you can" or "it's easy"

Reply on news.ycombinator.com