Quote:So if someone couldn't afford a BMW car, but could magically clone one, you would be against it because BMW missed out on the chance to sell one more car? What if they cloned a banana? Would they be morally wrong because Chiquita lost a potential sale?Yes to the first, no to the second.
BMW has patent protection on the design and technology of their cars. The form, style and function of the car you clone is the property of BMW.
Chiquita doesn't own the concept of the banana. If you clone 50 billion bananas, you're fine until you put Chiquita labels on them (which is something Chiquita does own).
But in both cases, the economic repercussions are secondary. It isn't a moral act to take something owned by someone else and intended to be sold by someone else, irrespective of the money involved. From a moral standpoint, theft for personal gratification is equally contemptible no matter the cost of the item or idea stolen. That being said, I suspect a case could be made that some instances of theft which are not for personal gratification (stealing medicine for a desperately ill child is the most common example) are not immoral.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
