If someone downloads an online version of a book without authorization, no author or bookstore has lost a copy. Finally, the means of stealing, such as breaking and entering and the threat of violence, can incur yet further harms to the victim.īut digital piracy does not fit this formula. Moreover, the bookstore loses out on any profit associated with that good, as that book can no longer be sold to another customer. If someone takes a book from a bookstore, someone is deprived of that good.

Is digital piracy the same as theft? Are artists and scientists harmed? What tangible benefits does open information deliver?įew would dispute that stealing is wrong. Or, put more bluntly, between pirates and copyright holders. This is merely the latest bout in an ongoing political (and ethical) tug-of-war between freedom of information and intellectual property rights. The details of the story are still developing, although one likely contributing factor was the popularity of the Zlibrary channel on TikTok. In early November, multiple domain names used by Z-library were seized by the United States Government. Z-library held millions of digital books and articles, all downloadable for free.

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