[SkyBelow]

Libraries are government approved piracy.

This can be taken as being positive about piracy or negative about libraries. I think the real question is not which way I mean it but why does the average user see one as positive and the other as a negative, thus causing the conflict when the two are linked by this statement.

[greycol]

You are implying that two people reading the same physical book is piracy with your statement. With that kind of logic someone reading the same book twice that they only paid for once would be piracy if the author wished that they could have the book burnt after one read through.

The natural state of copyright is that it doesn't exist, it's only created because governments believe there is a benefit in enforcing it, be that benefit a greater production and distribution of works or more money in politicians pockets from lobbyists.

Implying that there is any legal copyright piracy is ridiculous as by it's definition the copyright does not extend to that area so there is no piracy. The closest you can come to the concept of legal piracy would be copyright privateering across legal jurisdictions.

[Mindwipe]

> Libraries are government approved piracy.

In most countries around the world libraries pay a license for loaned out books, so not really.