> If they are in possession of copyrighted material because someone without the proper rights gave it to them illegally, then the possession itself is also illegal.
No, they aren’t.
> It's illegal to own knowingly stolen property in all 50 US states
While copyright violation is often metaphorically (or hyperbolicly) referred to as stealing, copyright violation isn't theft and a copy created in violation of copyright is not stolen property. The essencd of theft lies in deprivation of the owner of the use of the good, not mere trespass to their right to exclude others.
No, they aren’t.
> It's illegal to own knowingly stolen property in all 50 US states
While copyright violation is often metaphorically (or hyperbolicly) referred to as stealing, copyright violation isn't theft and a copy created in violation of copyright is not stolen property. The essencd of theft lies in deprivation of the owner of the use of the good, not mere trespass to their right to exclude others.