@lizzard @lmorchard so, just wondering: why is everyone so hung up on copyright? The question doesn't ask about copyright at all.
Discussion
@evan I think the reason everyone is so hung up on copyright is that most (all?) ethical systems have no objection to copying. So for most people, the reason copying might be unethical is if it would involve breaking the law.
@mpjgregoire @lizzard @lmorchard "most (all?) ethical systems have no objection to copying"?!? That's not true at all!
Copying another artist's style, someone else's jokes, a friend's hairstyle, a classmate's essay, are all considered in poor taste or even unethical.
In almost any situation where original thinking could be done, copying is considered shoddy and second-rate.
@evan my gut reaction: the cooking example is completely different from the examples you just gave.
All your examples have one thing in common: trying to reap the benefits without putting in the effort. The restaurant situation is only comparable if the copycat is also a restaurant cook.
But if you're cooking a restaurant recipe at home, no harm is done to the professional cook, and no "unfair" advantage is gained for the home cook.
And then, knowing the recipe doesn't spare you all the effort: Even if you know the theoretical recipe, a lot of effort will still go into the learning and doing. I have the whole recipe library of a confectioner - but none of the skills, and not her professional kitchen, so I still can't do most of the things in that collection.
"the cooking example is completely different from the examples you just gave."
Agreed. The examples I gave were for @mpjgregoire 's assertion that nobody ever has any problem with copying except for copyright. I strongly disagree.
@evan @lizzard @lmorchard
I meant to give a thoughtful reply — including opening a tab to https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P8B.HTM — but at this point I think I'll just say that maybe you're right.
@evan @mpjgregoire @lmorchard copying from other artists is only bad if you *profit* from it. Otherwise, it's a valid strategy to learn techniques, with the expectation that you'll develop your own style in time. And even that used to be different: in the middle ages, great artists had studios where "lesser" artists worked in their style and that was completely normal. Maybe painting was seen more like a craft than art at that point? Because in crafts copying techniques that work well is definitely completely normal.
@evan copying another person's hairstyle? That one feels like it could be very different depending on culture, age and relation to the other person. My gut rates this anywhere between "a compliment" and "a bit weird" but then "looking like an original individual" is much more important at age 17 than at age 40, and "being annoyed about a copied hairstyle" sounds so much like a highschool movie to me that I assume the more individualistic culture in the US might color this differently.
The more I think about it, the more I feel that with copying, as opposed to for example stealing, the individuals' intentions matter a lot more. And with intellectual property (which a recipe is), it's even more a matter of culture, because sharing knowledge is not a zero-sum game.
@evan @lmorchard my thinking process: the question asks "is it okay to [basically copy]", so my mind went to the legal implementation of that.
Probably because *morally*, there is no sliver of doubt in my mind that it's okay. The only "is it okay" question that then remains is "did someone try and protect that legally"...
