Before giving this a read, I'd recommend checking out copyheart.org, the manifesto which started the copyheart movement.
A good while ago, I discovered Copyheart, a proposed replacement for copyright disclaimers which encourages others to share and build upon your work (by copying it). It's a great concept; a simple declaration of intent. It's essentially an extension and officialization of personal web etiquette. From what I know, webmasters in the past were either unbothered by, or actively encouraged others to copy stuff from their sites, as long as it's done in good faith, and isn't plagarizing the source material.
Copyheart is an indication of a creator's love for the creative ecosystem, and them understanding the value of derivative work. Copying is also what allows for long-term preservation of websites. Sites come and go. Webmasters run out of time, funds or motivation, or just flat out nuke their entire online presence. Copying these websites allows some of, if these webmaster's entire work to be preserved
♡ Why copying isn't theft ♡
Let's start out with Merriam-Webster's definition of theft:
the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it
For copying to be theft, you'd somehow have to remove the original copy of the media, which is an incredibly difficult feat, and is incredibly rare for people to even attempt. Copying doesn't remove the original media. It just duplicates the file, leaving 2 identical files.
I believe that whenever anti-copyhearters attempt to make this point, they're using the term "theft" as a stand-in for plagirism, or just flat out mix up the definitions of these words. Please don't use "theft" and "plagirism" synonymously. They have distinct meanings.
As a little side note: IP theft also uses the term "theft" in a similar manner, but this is a misnomer, as no loss of the medium has occured
♡ The anti-copyheart movement: Preaching misinformation ♡
With all movements, there are counter movements. In this case it's in the form of
♡ Are anti-copyhearters just misguided? ♡
I've been wondering this for a while now. Do they simply have a misunderstanding of copyright and what the definition of theft actually is? Or does this come out of some sort of narcissism, where you believe that your code or art is somehow too prestigious to be copied by others?
♡ Copying is an act of love. Please copy. ♡
Reposting and transforming content is a vital aspect of the web revival. Each new generation of personal websites is built on the ashes of the last one, and in a way, immortalizes these sites, as fragments and assets from them will be perpetually preserved. Do not be ashamed of copying, be grateful for the derivative works and archives which exist thanks to people going out of their way to create copies.