In a way their future labor was? If i recorded you 24/7, then went to your employer and told them I had masterfully trained a chimpanzee to perform your jpb, and it was good enough your employer considered getting rid of you. Would you consider me recording/copying whart you did theft in some way?

For intellectual property, copying without permission is theft.

Well, given these companies are trying to sell it back to you - seems like even worse than stealing. ;-)