27 replies to this topic

[Yung]

Piracy is generally classified as a type of theft. However, copyright infringement is a type of piracy and no theft is committed according to the law. Copyright infringement means that an individual has illegally utilized intellectual property but has not prevented the owner form having access, which would then constitute theft.

 

Should it be considered an act of criminal offense to download music, videos, or other intellectual properties for free or without consent from the publisher, creator, or distributor?

[NapisaurusRex]

My grandfather was recently arrested for pirating DVDS and videogames.

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...erfeit-dvd.html

He was facing up to 5 years in prison or up to $25,000 in fines.

He had his court date Wednesday and walked away with a $6k fine.

Personally I understand it being illegal to distribute them for money, not so much the simple act of downloading for your own viewing pleasure. I am bias though, for obvious reasons.

Wow, your grandfather is young. I think you should be able to distribute them for non profit and download for personal, but not for selling. 

[Romy]

Pretty sure there was a study done in the past that showed most people who pirated things actually used pirating as a form of testing before buying. Not sure if this is still the case.

 

I don't think people do that at all nowadays.

When was the last time any of us pirated an album and went to buy a hard/digital copy of it a week later?

 

I do agree though...prices are ridiculously high.

[Drakonid]

I don't think people do that at all nowadays.

When was the last time any of us pirated an album and went to buy a hard/digital copy of it a week later?

 

I do agree though...prices are ridiculously high.

I do that a lot with games. Last two(I can remember) are spec ops the line and some Assassin's Creed, not sure which one.

[Romy]

I do that a lot with games. Last two(I can remember) are spec ops the line and some Assassin's Creed, not sure which one.

 

Then you are one of the few.

[NapisaurusRex]

I do, however, remember when buying an album was 1.99 and the last time I went to buy one it was in excess of 15.99. 

I'll stick to making my own playlists on YouTube, thanks.

 

 

I know that's right. I only buy it on sale, if I buy it at all.

[Pilot]

You wouldn't steal a car.

You wouldn't steal a handbag.

You wouldn't steal a television.

You wouldn't steal a movie.

Downloading pirated films is stealing, stealing is against the law.

 

Piracy. It's a crime.

[Elindoril]

[redlion]

I think the real issue, that is being ignored (and for good reason), is why are people not willing to pay current prices for movies / music / games / etc.
 
Pretty sure there was a study done in the past that showed most people who pirated things actually used pirating as a form of testing before buying. Not sure if this is still the case.

The price thing is a resonant wave though. As less and less people pay for media, the price for those who do has to go up or the profit margin goes down.

I know the study you're talking about, can't remember where it was. But the thing about that (as has been said) is that it's a rare person who does such a thing.

Occasionally, but not often, I'll buy a DVD that I previously downloaded for the special features or other content.

An example would be Firefly.

[Badger]

I think the real issue, that is being ignored (and for good reason), is
why are people not willing to pay current prices for movies / music /
games / etc.

 

Some people simply can't afford it (e.g. students or people on welfare).

Others might think hey, the people who made this are probably insanely rich already, so why would they need my small amount of money that I would
appreciate more?

But otherwise... I think that some of the media (particularly games) are too expensive.

Here in New Zealand, a new PS3 game can cost up to $120... which is ridiculous in my opinion.

I think that legal services for music like Spotify and iTunes are really good, where the majority of the money goes to the artist, and it's really affordable.

 

 

Funnily enough the music from this anti-piracy ad was pirated.

Edited by Trixic, 03 March 2013 - 12:08 AM.

[Turnip]

Ehhh... Copying isn't theft though! Heheheh~ If you're not selling the stuff you pirated then it shouldn't be considered/treated worse than if you raped/murdered someone. Plus, sometimes pirating is the only option to get the thing you want! Like if the music you listen to is incredibly rare or hard to get a hold of, then yeah you're probably not gonna be able to find that in stores or auction sites (self-published Japanese music I'm looking at you ;_; ) you're only able to pirate it, if it's been uploaded in the first place or if the download links are still alive.

 

It'd be nice if there were more services like Bandcamp! Where you pay the artists directly for their works. I dunno if that would work for movies and stuff though >w>

 

 

Also I don't get that "you wouldn't download a car" thing, if it was possible of course I would torrent a car or maybe a tank :V

[Dazz]

 

Reminds me of when i was younger i used to put a blank vhs in and wait on the music channels on tv for the songs that i liked, when they eventually came on i would hit record.

[Yung]

I've always VHS taped the Olympics. >.>

[Waser Lave]

It should be a criminal offence when somebody profits from piracy (by selling pirate DVDs or games etc) but not when it's for personal consumption in my opinion.

[redlion]

I think that legal services for music like Spotify and iTunes are really good, where the majority of the money goes to the artist, and it's really affordable.

You must be living in a different world mate. iTunes is shit for the artists. Spotify might be better because its royalties and not actual sales, but still. Damn! iTunes pays pennies on the dollar to the artist.

[NapisaurusRex]

You must be living in a different world mate. iTunes is shit for the artists. Spotify might be better because its royalties and not actual sales, but still. Damn! iTunes pays pennies on the dollar to the artist.

Comparatively, Spotify pays a ton because they do it per listen instead of per download like iTunes. However, they pay out to the labels instead of to the artist and then it's the label's responsibility to pay the artists. I don't think that's Spotify's fault though. Here's an article about it.

[luvsmyncis]

My grandfather was recently arrested for pirating DVDS and videogames.
http://www.cbc.ca/ne...erfeit-dvd.html
He was facing up to 5 years in prison or up to $25,000 in fines.
He had his court date Wednesday and walked away with a $6k fine.
Personally I understand it being illegal to distribute them for money, not so much the simple act of downloading for your own viewing pleasure. I am bias though, for obvious reasons.

 

Awesome, your grandpa was on the news, and not for being a child molester. That's cool. But holy shit, 25,000 DVDs? I suspect hanky panky.

 

I've always VHS taped the Olympics. >.>

 

NBC is now sending armed men to your home to confiscate your collection.

 

Downloading is just a fact of our times. Before that, people would make mix tapes of records, or copy VHS tapes. Corporate goons need to get over it, and artists need to think of creative new ways to make up for what they're not getting in cd/dvd sales. 

[Yung]

Awesome, your grandpa was on the news, and not for being a child molester. That's cool. But holy shit, 25,000 DVDs? I suspect hanky panky.
 

 
NBC is now sending armed men to your home to confiscate your collection.
 
Downloading is just a fact of our times. Before that, people would make mix tapes of records, or copy VHS tapes. Corporate goons need to get over it, and artists need to think of creative new ways to make up for what they're not getting in cd/dvd sales. 

A lot of artists make a nice chunk of change for performing shows. Don't quote me on this but I suspect that is where a bulk of their income lies.

[Mishelle]

I never buy music anymore. It just seems pointless to me. They have pandora, iheartradio, slacker, youtube, the radio. There's too many different ways to hear a song without buying it. It's not like musicians still aren't filthy rich anyway. 

 

But with movies I will download them and watch them online but if it's a good movie I always go to a theater because it's just a better experience for me watching good movies in a theater. The costs are insane to see a movie though 2 tickets will run you $22. And that's just the tickets.

[Token]

Unfortunately for this ad campaign they are wrong. I would definitely download a car if it was possible haha.

 

As far as the topic on hand; I personally don't mind pirating movies and tv shows, because I am only going to watch them once and then they have such a low entertainment value to me it would be ridiculous to pay $10-15 for a dvd ($7.50 for just a movie ticket) or $40 per season for a TV show. When it comes to music I will download albums and check them out. If I like them I will definitely support the artist, because I want them to produce more music. If not, well I just grab a few songs I like and add them to my playlist, because it's not like we can't hear those songs all the time on pandora, spotify, youtube, radio, etc.

[Yung]

Yeah, I don't see the point in paying for something in a physical format. Technology becomes obsolete so fast that eventually CD/DVD's will be looked at like cassettes and VHS tapes which would then make my collection about as much use as a chocolate teapot. 

To be fair they've lasted far longer than everyone said that they would.

[Frizzle]

Pirating media should be a civil offence only and be dealt with the means of small claims court for personal possession. It's only when people try to make a profit from it that it should be classified as a criminal offence.