Never was in modern sense.
It's invention of corporations to have enormous amounts of money for nothing.
Discussion
This bothers me so much. It's a question of ethics and this argumentation just ignores that. Yes, taking somebody's work's copy and making use of it while disregarding the author of it is stealing.
Honestly people ignoring this are the ones who never really created original work themselves. Go write a song, or a book, paint something, create a unique program. And then watch somebody else earn money from it while investing none of your lost resources.
Lol you telling this to open source devs is the epitome of irony 😂
We’re all copying Twitter. I spent a year designing things hoping people copy them 🤣
We are all a product of our past experiences. Therefore, every idea is copyright infringement.
Imagine Johannes Lippius was able to copywrite musical chords in 1612.
Copying is a poster child for getting something for nothing. Profiteering is not in the sole domain of nameless corporations.
Product development doesn't just fucking happen. It's an invention for people who want to live in a civilized society where investors and innovators aren't just sacrificial animals who get no reward for their effort.
You can't compete with someone who gets the benefit of your labor without bearing any of the cost for it.
The mental gymnastics to justify stealing is quite incredible.