Consider THESE FIVE theoretical crimes:
(a) YOU break & enter a stranger's home, nick his Audio CD collection and take it home for your own use!
(b) Someone else enters a stranger's home, nicks his Audio CD collection, sells (or gives it) to you and you take it home for your own use!
(c) YOU break & enter a stranger's home, bundle-up his Audio CD collection and take it home where you copy it all for your own use. You then go back another night and put his entire Audio CD collection back.
(d) Someone else enters a stranger's home, bundles-up his Audio CD collection and takes it home where he copies it all. He then goes back another night and puts the stranger's entire Audio CD collection back. He sells (or gives) the copies to you and you take it all home for your own use!
(e) A stranger copies his Audio CD collection, sells (or gives) the copies to you and you take the copies home for your own use!
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Maybe each successive example might seem LESS of a crime but EACH example, if carried out, entails a risk of criminal prosecution.
a - Break & enter, theft and possession of stolen goods.
b - (YOU) Receiving and possession of stolen goods.
c - Break & enter, theft. Possession of copyrighted material for which the copyright holder has not been paid.
d - (YOU) Possession of copyrighted material for which the copyright holder has not been paid.
e - (YOU) Possession of copyrighted material for which the copyright holder has not been paid.
ALSO, even where it was not YOU doing the break & enter YOU COULD be charged with being an accessory to the crime!
