Piracy

Well, it's been quite some time since we had a topic on this. I don't recall if the last one really went anywhere, but it's an issue that recently re-caught my attention, so I figured I'd talk about it here. (Evidently ZU is my blog.)

This thread, as the title says, is about piracy. As you can doubtless guess, I don't mean people with eye patches and an over-abundance of parrots. I mean, instead, piracy of books, TV shows, music, movies, and really any and all creative content.

At first glance this seems like a pretty simple "right and wrong" issue. This is because it is a pretty simple issue. However, quite a few of the pirates out there try to obfuscate it.

The most common argument for pirating music/movies/TV shows is this: "Well, yes, it's illegal. However, thanks to my efforts countless people who would otherwise have never even heard of this product now know about it. I'm expanding the market and now more people will buy it, so I'm really supporting the artist."

At first glance this seems like a pretty good defence. I mean, with some music and TV shows (mostly anime) you aren't able to sample it before buying, and many people (myself included), aren't going to put $20-$200 (Curse you exorbitant MSRPs!) on some untested product.

Here's the thing though: How many people actually download the pirate content just to "demo" something, and then go and buy it afterwards? Probably not all that many, why should you, if you can just keep getting it for free?

Even if a person feels guilty about not buying the thing they tend to say stuff like: "Well, it wasn't that good anyways, so I probably wouldn't have bought it.", this despite their watching the 50+ episode TV show or listening to 15+ hours of the same band.

In addition, the pirates aren't providing demos of stuff, they're providing the full copy with no strings attached. Am I giving you a demo of the iPhone if I make an exact replica of mine and give it to you for free? Well, no, that's obviously patent infringement on my part, and would probably count as theft.

Then, of course, comes the cap to all this: The people who download the pirated content exclusively have a tendency to call themselves "fans" of the stuff. They are not fans, their thieves. Fans buy a product to support the people who produced it so that they'll produce more of it in the future. Thieves see something shiny and take it for their own so that they don't have to pay for it.

This last part is more anime-related (I've recently started to get involved in anime-watching, after a two-year hiatus, so it's on my mind.), but these same "fans" then complain about the lack of quality anime being sold in North America. Well, the reason there's less anime being sold over here then there was in 2003 is simple: people don't buy it because they can get it for free, no strings attached. If more people bought anime then anime being sold over here would get higher marketing/dubbing/subbing budgets (much like it did in, say, 1999-2004) and you'd get many more shows getting picked up to be licenced over here.


Now, at this point this is really just a rant, and probably not really I:SB worthy. So I'm going to ask: Does anyone here disagree with me? Anyone here advocate piracy for any reason? If so, I'd like to know why, since it always strikes me as cheap to argue against someone without knowing what they claim.

I don't have time to make an extremely detailed response, but I do have strong feelings on this issue.

First off, let me clarify that I believe that piracy is wrong. Do not let anything I say imply that I support or practice piracy. No one should copy software/music/etc. illegally.

However, I do support the implications behind piracy. In other words, companies are foolish for attempting to sell something so fluid in nature. Numerous companies have already proven that giving digital goods away for free to promote a scarce good is a much more lucrative business model than attempting to sell the digital product directly.

Also, several companies (primarily the RIAA and MPAA) go overboard in penalizing pirates. This is the biggest reason I never turn anyone in. While I do not support piracy, I definitely do not support the RIAA charging $10,000 for a pirated song that normally costs $0.99. Not only is that ratio absurd, the song cost nothing to reproduce, so there was no "damage" done. Yes, there is a fixed cost to produce the song originally, but there are other better ways to cover those costs.

Attempting to add layer after layer of DRM does not make the business model successful. It just makes it painful. DRM is greatest digital irony of this millennium. It is designed to stop piracy, but all it does is annoy honest customers. Pirates have no problems overcoming DRM. Meanwhile, real customers have to buy three formats of the same song for three different devices.

Piracy is certainly not good, but many of today's corporations deserve its negative side effects for the way they treat their customers. Microsoft, for instance, is more interested in fighting piracy than replacing my lost/disabled serial key. They would rather make me buy their stupid OS again than make a loyal customer out of me by replacing my key at no charge. That is why I use Ubuntu now.

Ah this topic..... this will be interesting.


I don't think pirating is right, but I hate the way companies treat their "fans."

How many people actually download the pirate content just to "demo" something, and then go and buy it afterwards? Probably not all that many, why should you, if you can just keep getting it for free?

You'd be surprised, because if someone puts free music on their website, people can download it for free. Then, when their next album comes out, they charge money for it and guess what happens? They had a taste of the music, they loved it, they respect the person enough to go out and buy their album. They make money. It's even better when someone gives out free music and then charges for their concerts. They will still make money.

I hate how the recording and movie industry treats their fans. They treat them all like pirates, when actually, pirates are the ones that introduces their product to more people than the company possibly ever could.

Originally Posted by Buzz

DRM is greatest digital irony of this millennium. It is designed to stop piracy, but all it does is annoy honest customers. Pirates have no problems overcoming DRM. Meanwhile, real customers have to buy three formats of the same song for three different devices.

Thats what I hate about DRM. I bought the dang song, I should be able to use it where and how I want it. But instead, its like I'm borrowing it. It's annoying and stupid...

Call me what you will (but I'm being openly 100% honest here), but I like to think of it as 'sharing' software and other media files with people. In fact, I think of it as a trade. 'People' share files with me, and in turn, I also share files with 'them.'

^I agree. I see nothing wrong with sharing. It's the best advertisement for their product.

Originally Posted by Dark Link

Call me what you will (but I'm being openly 100% honest here), but I like to think of it as 'sharing' software and other media files with people. In fact, I think of it as a trade. 'People' share files with me, and in turn, I also share files with 'them.'

But even sharing is not allowed. These companies are SO stingy about their rules that even lending it is out of the question.

Techdirt: If You Ask A Stranger To Take Your Photo, You May Have Violated Your Digital Camera Contract

^Urg.... that article makes me so pissed.... their logic is so stupid!

Also, adding onto the sharing debate, although I am not saying I support thievery besides they stole it not me. Althought that still doesn't help, I would spend hundreds of dollars if I bought albums or used Itunes or something. It just isn't worht it to me but I don't want to be without music either. It's difficult. Btw, I don't share my music back

Pirating is kind of a hazy area for me. An example if there is one song I like on a whole CD, I really don't want to spend the $20 for 1 song(I don't use Itunes, I'm not going to use a credit card online).

The biggest 2 sources of piracy I see are anime and games. A couple of people I know own an R4 for the DS. This device serves no purpose other then pirating games. When I ask them why they don't want to support the companies, they state they just don't want to spend the money, and that a company like Nintendo can handle the loss.

Now anime I'm divided on. I will download anime(it is illegal people, even the unliscened stuff). But once that show becomes available in America I will buy the Dvds and merchandise. I believe Japan has mixed feelings on this as well. On one hand it lets them know how popular certain shows are in other countries, on the other, citizens of their own country can download it for free off an American site.

There are also legit things such as the PS2 emulator PCSX2, it was developed as a means to see how to work a ps2 on PC. In no ways is this illegal until someone makes it. To get it to work one must rip the BIOS from a PS2 they already own. That is when the piracy starts on this, people take something completley legal, and exploit it.

Now, I'm still going to remain half and half on this subject, for the only thing I ever do is maybe 1 song every 3 months.

If you want cheep music without DRM, go to out of country sites. They only charge 10 cents for songs. gomusic.ru is what I use.

I hate itunes.... its so rigged....

All I know is that I have learned my lesson from others on how to handle intellectual property. Most (if not all) of my products will be free. Instead, I will sell service, premium access, and other things that essentially cannot be pirated. However, I will not put my customers through the nightmare of having serial keys, etc.

I also have mixed feelings on the subject.

I mainly feel bad when I pirate anything, especially for the things I would buy but like other people have stated, I'm not going to buy a CD for one song.

My problem is I always say I'm going to buy the things I actually do like... but I never get around to it or if I'm at the store, I'll spend my money elsewheres.

But I actually do perfer purchasing many items over downloading and burning them. Take a CD for example, you get the whole package over a writable disc with permanent marker chicken scratches.

Also, if people on this thread confess such things, can they get in trouble if some big company finds out what they post ?

Originally Posted by Buzz

But even sharing is not allowed. These companies are SO stingy about their rules that even lending it is out of the question.

Techdirt: If You Ask A Stranger To Take Your Photo, You May Have Violated Your Digital Camera Contract

I'd very much like to see someone try and arrest me or sue me for letting a friend borrow an album.

I ask since when was music meant to be bought and sold.



We used to pay for artists to perform their art live, and nothing more.