Waleed Basyouni – Is Playing Pirated Video Games Haram- Islamic Ruling on Copyright
AI: Summary ©
The caller is asking if it's allowed to copy a book that was published and sold for commercial purposes, but the representative explains that it's not allowed to be copied and sold for personal or commercial reasons. The caller suggests that the representative look for permission from a lawyer to allow them to do so, but the representative advises against it and suggests asking for permission from a lawyer.
AI: Summary ©
This question is by a brother who is
saying he's playing video games that have been
pirated, pirated aloud.
And let me explain, I read this a
really long, long email.
So he is making an example.
Let's say somebody wrote a book and that
book has been published and then the author
stopped publishing it, maybe died and so it's
not being reprinted again at all.
And this person has bought and purchased the
book originally, but now he's trying to make
copies of the book and sell it because
there's no reprint.
Is that allowed?
Is it allowed to do that with video
games that have been, you know, like outdated
completely, no reprint, no new copies, and they
don't produce the game, but he is copying
it and selling it, you know, or playing
it, whatever.
So is that allowed to do?
Okay.
There is a fatwa came from almost every
council of fiqh in the Muslim world from
Najma al-fiqh al-Islami to even all
the way to here in America and Amjad
that copyrights is something should be respected and
should not be violated because these games and
these products, it takes years and sometimes millions
of dollars to be produced.
So patterns and stuff like that, you can't
just come and steal somebody's work.
And it became more haram if it is
done for a commercial purposes, you know, is
not as it is.
I do believe also in a personal use,
but it's not as forbidden and became more
because sins are also levels more severe and
more damage if it's for commercial purposes.
The scholars differentiated between copyrights over Islamic knowledge
and non-Islamic knowledge.
So when it comes to non-Islamic knowledge,
there is a kind of consensus on that
position.
But when it comes to Islamic knowledge, there
is somebody, some scholars debate that.
So some of them said, yes, it is
haram, not allowed to make any copy for
any Islamic knowledge.
It has to be copyrighted.
And, you know, you're not allowed to make
copy of it.
Some said, no, it is allowed.
And some came in the middle.
They said, if it's for personal use, it's
allowed.
But for commercial, commercial, commercializing is not allowed.
So you have a debate here.
But what we talk about here is an
area where there is, I don't know, there
is like a disagreement between the scholars over
it.
So I would, I would avoid that a
hundred percent and look for the persons, ask
for permissions and give them their rights, you
know, give them their fair share of the
program that you want to do.
Whether the person or their inheritors or whatever
is taking care.
And if you couldn't find, just ask a
lawyer, what's the legal way to do that?
Very good.
All right.
Jazakallah khair.