One quibble I have is his use of “freebooting” to mean uploading something and passing it off as your own. Freebooting to me has always meant sharing a work without directly compensating the copyright owners of the work, without the connotation of falsely taking credit for it. The term was invented and popularized by file-sharers whose copyright indifference was frequently termed “stealing” - when it has little in common with theft of a physical object.
Before file-sharing was popular, bootleg copies of live performances were a normal part of band fan culture, and bands would countenance or even encourage it. Bootleg recordings were never intentionally falsely attributed. Likewise, freebooting compares what file-sharers are doing with the bootleg recording industry; one that is nominally illicit, but complements the artists’ reputation and status.
The term was invented and popularized by file-sharers whose copyright indifference was frequently termed “stealing” - when it has little in common with theft of a physical object.
I could be wrong, but I thought the modern use of the term was coined and mostly popularized by Brady Haran (of Numberphile) and other YouTube creators, primarily using it to describe news sites taking and re-uploading their content. Still not usually claiming ownership, though.
I think you’re right. I looked up the podcast, and it was coined by Brady Haran. I think I conflated conversations about the role of bootlegging compared to copyright infringement and the development of the term freebooting to mean re-hosting content. It sounds like referencing bootleg recording wasn’t part of the original intended nuance of the term.
I think you’re also correct that TomSka’s use of the term to include claiming ownership is still a semantic shift.