Memes are meant to be stolen. If they're not being stolen, they die. Copying is the life-force.

Memes are like the flame of a candle - a million memes can be shared without taking anything away from the original image. Other than jpeg compression, but you know what I mean.

Like piracy itself, that's not stealing. It's sharing.

This meme was stolen

Copying is not theft: stealing a thing leaves one less left while copying makes one thing more, that's what copy is for. Example?

I if steal your bicycle, you have to take the bus. But if I just copy it, there's one for each of us.

(Thanks Nina Paley https://archive.org/details/CopyingIsNotTheft1080p 😁)

We do not steal hats. We share them. We teach fraternity and knowledge. We are balance. We are believers in open and free markets. We remain curious, unbridled, and fly no colors.

In time: we may be the only capable navigators of a sea rife with giants and uncouth countries.

We privateers may well be stealing history back from those who would destroy it.

Yo ho my hearties.

Take what you can ...

If nobody steals your meme, is it still a meme?