What the collectors did is not media piracy, but actual theft. According to the article, the people who have these episodes are former BBC workers who would dig through the media disposal cart and help themselves to anything that looked interesting. It is a victimless crime, but it definitely meets the definition of theft.
It has been long enough that they are likely outside of the statute of limitations, so they are not likely to face criminal consequences, but they are afraid that the BBC will send goons to trash their homes looking for more “stolen property”.
What the collectors did is not media piracy, but actual theft. According to the article, the people who have these episodes are former BBC workers who would dig through the media disposal cart and help themselves to anything that looked interesting. It is a victimless crime, but it definitely meets the definition of theft.
It has been long enough that they are likely outside of the statute of limitations, so they are not likely to face criminal consequences, but they are afraid that the BBC will send goons to trash their homes looking for more “stolen property”.
Stealing from the garbage is recycling, not theft.
I wouldn’t even use the word “stealing” in that phrase, to fully drive the point home.
Not in the eyes of the law, especially when the accuser has a large and well funded legal department and you are a working class retiree.
Then that law is stupid and can be dismissed.
Hey, did you just pick up the chewing gum I just tossed into the garbage?
THIEF!!!