An interesting pro-IP argument

Something I thought of. Let's say someone hacks into your internet roleplaying game profile and steals your money. Is he liable for theft? The usual anti-IP argument is that ideas are not scarce. But money in your online profile is scarce!

Hacking is a form of aggression.  You are sending electronic signals into a physical computer/hard-drive somewhere without the consent of the owner of that system.  Furthermore, the whole basis for the argument against IP is that copying isn't theft.  What you're talking about isn't copying, but draining the account and essentially vandalizing the data.

/thread

The title of this thread may very well be an oxymoron.

 

thats a good point and a nice example to challenge us!

If the money is purchased with real money, then it is functioning as money first and foremost.  Also, as somone said...they aren't copying the data.  So, to me it is theft of money.

If I'm not wrong, the basic argument against IP is that it doesn't so much protect your property rights as it does restrict what other people can do with their property. It's part of the general libertarian case against positive obligations that are not incurred by voluntary contract but are coercively imposed.

Here, it's different because positive obligations have been incurred by contract. Presumably, the thief agreed when he signed up for the game that he wouldn't do anything illicit like this. So he's liable to be punished in whatever way the contract stipulates.

Eugene:

Something I thought of. Let's say someone hacks into your internet roleplaying game profile and steals your money. Is he liable for theft? The usual anti-IP argument is that ideas are not scarce. But money in your online profile is scarce!

 

What does your scenario have to do with IP? It seems as if you are asking, "if I steal a (physically) book, then isn't that stealing IP?

Hacking is a crime. /thread

^^^ This. (Although, what you meant to say was "cracking".)

 

Anyone here thinks hacking is not a crime?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_hacking_and_cracking