"Ivor Jones" <ivor@despammed.invalid> wrote in message
news:4ve0itF1bnpn3U1@mid.individual.net...[color=blue]
> "Brian" <bandj@o2.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:emshph$i1c$1$830fa17d@news.demon.co.uk
>
> [snip]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > > You have a strange idea of what constitutes theft.
>> >
>> > Other people using *my* monthly allocation isn't
>> > theft..? What is it then..?[/color]
>>
>> The context is Skype. Being donated bandwidth is what its
>> operation depends on. How does theft come into it?[/color]
>
> I am paying for the bandwidth of my connection. I do not give Skype
> permission to use it. If they do, then it is theft.
>
> Ivor[/color]


Much as I do not use Skype, because of its limited use for me, a user who
signs up for its service HAS to accept all the legal T&Cs, such as:

[url]http://www.skype.com/company/legal/eula/index.html[/url]

Article 4 Utilization of Your computer
4.1 Utilization of Your computer. You hereby acknowledge that the Skype
Software may utilize the processor and bandwidth of the computer (or other
applicable device) You are utilizing, for the limited purpose of
facilitating the communication between Skype Software users.

By definition, having consented to this, it is not theft. If you consider
it unfair, don't use their service. Some people are happy to accept this
because of the overall benefits to them. Market forces and all that...