RE: Steemit Ethics- Unintended consequences and efforts towards deescalation
I understand the legality of it. You are right that it is theft of intellectual property. It's just that it is usually not worth the cost of prosecution. Unless you have a lawyer who is working for free. In most cases...the only time there is usually a law suit is if it makes a large enough profit to merit the time and cost of taking it to court OR if it is deemed harmful to the brand/person/company. Such as slander or negative publicity that can be proven to hurt company images or bottom lines.
So the thinking from my viewpoint only! If someone were to steel my work then at least offer my contribution as the author so that if people like it they will be able to look me up. In this way any profit will be seen as my payment to you for marketing :P
I know that is not the thinking of all creators and artists. I am NOT saying it is "morally" right or "ethically" right. But everyone has a differing view on morality and ethics.
In Conclusion I would say "DON'T STEEL"!!!!!
There are plenty of freebies out there now days that can be monetized with a simple creative commons attribution.
Overall, I agree.
In actuality, there's getting to be some real nastiness wherein lawyers are finding ways to be profitable. Go figure.
And technically there's a greater risk of reputation damage to the blogger.
If I see someone going around randomly lifting photos, I'm automatically assuming they also lift text. I also assume they aren't spending a great deal of time being original.
And, companies are getting tired of doing dmca paperwork. I saw one that was willing to shut me down without research if they got a complaint. I kept moving. Some protections actually create the opportunity for abuse.
So it's not really just about lawsuits. It's also about preserving reputation and protecting one's own IP from takedown.