A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away
someone once said
Violating copyright is THEFT, plain and simple
What's people's views on this?

As far as I see it ("the rebel alliance view")

Copyright infringement is a civil offence
you can't be locked up for it, it's not criminal
It's a civil matter, meaning you can only be sued

Theft, on the other hand is a criminal offence
and can carry custodial punishments

In order for theft to occur, you have to deprive someone of their own property, against their wishes.

Is downloading copyrighted material off the net without paying for it, theft?
Who has been deprived of their property?

- You buy a sandwich from a shop, and you bump into me further down the street.
- I have a device that can duplicate this sandwich at zero cost to anyone.
- I duplicate your sandwich. We now have a sandwich each.
- Have I stolen from the sandwich shop?