I'm grateful to the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/19/consumer_focus_spart/" target="_blank">ever-watchful Andrew Orlowski of the Register</a> for spotting that authors' rights get a very powerful mention in the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml" target="_blank">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a>, the United Nations document, agreed in 1948, which, to quote Wikipedia, '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights" target="_blank">represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled</a>'.

Article 27 (2) says...
<blockquote>Everyone has the right to protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.</blockquote>
I hope that quote comes in useful next time a book thief tells you that you're the bad guy in all this for having the temerity to think it's wrong to have someone steal your work. Can't help but wonder too how the 'all copyright is theft' movement manages to square its clear breach of the UN Declaration with their professed position as libertarian activists intent on bringing 'freedom of thought' to the masses. By nicking stuff naturally...

Orlowski's story carries a neat little in-joke in the url -- the word 'Spart'. For the younger among you this is a refere