Drops in a Puddle

Stealing Ideas

Even though there's no legal/copyright protection for ideas themselves, do you think it's morally acceptable to take another writer's idea and write your own version of it without permission or giving them credit? Would you find it more or less acceptable if that person weren't a writer or artist themselves? Why?

I think it's according to the extent of the other person's idea. For instance, if one person had an idea to write a book about a detective who is actually a serial killer (hmm, not a bad idea), and another person does just that, I don't think the idea was developed enough to constitute stealing the idea. However, if one person has an elaborate idea, and another person uses it to write their own version of it, I find it morally unacceptable. It would make no difference if the person weren't a writer or an artist. In fact, the minute that person begins to write the story, he or she becomes a writer.