# CD Morality Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319 "2000-07-21T04:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319/61 "2000-07-26T15:07:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by oldscratch \* > \*\*On expired parking tickets carrying moral stigmas, look [here.](http://www.uexpress.com/ups/opinion/cartoon/tr/rallcom/2000/07/tr000703.html) > > \*\* I think I met that judge in traffic court once! LOL! ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319/62 "2000-07-26T15:10:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrblue92 \* > \*\*The idea has been around at least 2400 yrs, but a wider acceptance only in the last couple hundred, probably interrelated with atheism drawing wider acceptance, hmm? > > IIRC, our last major conversation was about on communism, so I guess this makes our arguments along the classic lines of capitalist pig-dog v. the godless commie. 🙂 I suppose it could be worse–we could have nukes pointing at each other. \*\* You’re absolutely right. I don’t really have a problem with your view either. I mean, you believe in God and it only makes sense that you would believe that there is a higher standard of morals. My only problem is atheists who do so, I tend to argue rather strongly with them. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@Bad\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Hat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319/63 "2000-08-23T07:05:21Z")
Okay, in response to the argument that its not the production cost but the resale value that determines theft. How do we respond then to the argument that ther are any number of songs thatI would download for free or copy from a friend for free that I would never plop down money for. So i download, or copy, and listen to it for a couple of weeks, and get over it and it takes up blocks on my hard drive space for a year till I get around to deleting it. The converse would be if I DLed the track, and really liked it, then I might go out and buy the CD, or even more likely go see the artist in concert, and/or forward the track to my friends and encourage them to buy a CD or go see the artist live. So the bottom line question of my argument (which is NOT BTW a hypothetical, this is how I fish for new music) Can it be considered “stealing” if the loss in revenue is at worst nothing (as I would not have spent money on the song any way) and at best, not a loss at all but a gain, as I might have discovered I really liked the band and become a devoted fan of music that without free access to, I’d never have discovered? ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2000, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319/64 "2000-08-23T09:43:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bill H. \* > **While he owned it it was legal. He sold it. The remaining copy is theft.** I disagree. He bought it. He sold the CD at a loss. There is no theft involved. **What if he bought a CD, then made 50 copies of it and sold them, pocketing the ill-gotten gains.** [/QUOTE] That’s not the question. That’s going off-topic. We’re talking about buying a CD, making a copy of one song for personal use, then selling the CD. No hijacking allowed. tsk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-morality-question/26319.md?page=3)