Can downloading and using pirated software or books lead to a Parajika offense for a bhikkhu?
In Buddhist monastic code, the conclusion is that software piracy, copyright infringement does not count as theft as the owner still has their copy. What is lost is that they don’t have potential revenue from selling their artwork.
One analogy is that one goes to the market, sees a chair, go back home, copy the design of the chair. The chair was not stolen from the owner, but the design was copied. So too the “electrons” where not stolen from that site, just the information was copied.
Different community may have different standards on this issue as it’s not present in the Buddha’s time.
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