Scene: a real-world classroom of aspiring JDs · 9:29pm Jul 12th, 2019
Instructor, after shutting off “Forgotten Friendship” as credits start rolling: “Now, class, when Sunset Shimmer touched Wallflower Blush’s arm and reached into Wallflower’s memories, does that constitute assault under the laws of . . .”
Addendum: I have been reminded assault is the mere threat of force; battery is the actual application of force—hence the common phrase “assault and battery”. That’s a gross oversimplification, but will do for our purposes. The instructor’s question stands, but the discussion they’re aiming for is much more about exactly what, if any, crimes Sunset theoretically could be charged with. For that matter, as several commenters bring up in one way or another, whatever those might be, what Wallflower did absolutely could be considered battery.
Yes.
Yes it does.
I would have thought theyd still be arguing over teh cafeteria scene in Rainbow Rocks.
Well I could certainly see it as an invasion of privacy, that seems pretty clear. Especially if it was done deliberately, rather than accidentally as so often happens with touch-telepathy.
If Sunset had essayed to impose mental edits or otherwise cause distress, say by deliberately dredging up traumatic memories and locking Wallflower into them, then it would be assault. But as sunset's empathic touch cannot do anything beyond observe what the subject is currently thinking of, I don't see how it can be considered harmful in the way that constitutes assault.
Now if we consider one's mental landscape to be a personal subrealm, then we can have some interesting discussions about trespassing and breaking-and-entering.
Sunset's friends could always tell how her day was going based on how she sat at the lunch table. Some days, it was a subtle sign, like a little bounce in her step or a stifled sigh.
Some days, like today, she let her face hit the table the moment she sat down.
"That bad?" said Twilight.
Sunset dug into one jacket pocket, pulled out a pack of business cards, and dealt one to each other girl at the table, all without looking up. "I am legally required to give you these," she said, her voice muffled by the position she apparently planned on holding for all of lunch."
The others looked at the card. Some frowned in confusion. Pinkie held back a giggle. Twilight just sighed. "Really?"
"Am I the one who's gonna have t' say it?" Applejack looked around the table, and sighed. "Fine. What in the pear-flavored heck is a privacy policy, an' how come you gotta let everyone know yer updatin' yours?"
Was Wallflower deleting Sunset's memories a copyright violation?
5087966 5087952
Now that definitely is assault, even if as Ro argues Sunset’s ability is not.
5087967
Philosophically speaking, one might argue that "assault" boils down to forcefully altering someone's state of existence without their consent. Thus, since the memory stone did indeed effect a real and nonconsensual change on it's victim's state of being, it was assault. Just like running up and ripping out handfuls of someone's hair would be assault.
5087966 No copying occurred when she was deleting the memories. The real question is whether viewing them without her consent is a copyright violation?
5088811 Now I want to see Princess Twilight and the Equestrian Government try and sue the entire world of EQG for copywrite violation.
5088940 And then they visit our world and sue Hasbro?