If someone broke into the KFC vault and wrote down the spice recipe used for the chicken, we'd still call that a "stolen recipe". If part of the value of the source code is its secrecy, then its value decreases when it's made public.
Look at an example of one way the word "steal" is used in speech. If I say "Good artists copy; great artists steal", and I saying that great artists break into a building and illegally remove a physical artifact, or am I saying that they copy something for their own benefit? If one can "steal" an idea, then isn't that a "stolen idea"? And if that stolen idea is directly used to create some salable product, then isn't that a "stolen product", in that sense?
edit: The comment I responded to made the claim that source code couldn't be stolen, only copied (similar to the standard argument "it's copyright infringement, not theft", often applied to copied media). There was more, but I don't remember the wording, and I don't want to misrepresent the position.
If part of the value of the source code is its secrecy, then its value decreases when it's made public.
It's not necessarily true that part of the value of source code is its secrecy, though. We'd like to believe that, but it's difficult to come up with evidence to support it. Most instances where source code is leaked result in no damage to the owner, for example.
I concede the point. I don't think I can prove that hidden source is always beneficial for the company, and maybe not even that it ever is (although that weaker version of the claim just needs one counter-example ;-) ).
I hate to be the person to post this comment, but anyway: We have pretty good evidence that KFC's recipe has been reverse engineered and/or leaked anyway. Doesn't seem to have affected its sales much.
Look at an example of one way the word "steal" is used in speech. If I say "Good artists copy; great artists steal", and I saying that great artists break into a building and illegally remove a physical artifact, or am I saying that they copy something for their own benefit? If one can "steal" an idea, then isn't that a "stolen idea"? And if that stolen idea is directly used to create some salable product, then isn't that a "stolen product", in that sense?
edit: The comment I responded to made the claim that source code couldn't be stolen, only copied (similar to the standard argument "it's copyright infringement, not theft", often applied to copied media). There was more, but I don't remember the wording, and I don't want to misrepresent the position.