[metalman]

when digital "property" can be returned for a refund, sold or transfered at will, works on any operating system, is insurable, then , it will be in a position where it will be respected enough to get public suport for inclusion as real property.

idea: digital property could be uniquely insurable, as a loss could be re-issued withe same serial #

[mindslight]

Or we could just accept the inherent properties of the medium and not try to shoehorn it into the model of exclusive scarcity for physical goods, whether for reductio ad absurdum or not. (Heck, the scarcity model is even starting to break down for sundry consumer goods in the light of "free returns" and whatnot, at least in the US)

It's hard to take the original article seriously when it's going on and on about "stealing". It does have an astute point about out of touch ham-fisted anti-piracy campaigns actually increasing public support for piracy. In that light, this article would have itself been better as a video clip.