Online Piracy Poll

[Godmil]

Pirated movies don't require copy protection breaking software to play - they just play.

As long as you've got the right codecs... actually I had some tv shows that for the subtitles to work I had to dl a particular media player which took a bit of research.
But that's besides the point cause I remember a few years ago having a hellava time trying to get a basic dvd to work on my pc...
However, I kinda mistyped my previous comment, I didn't mean to be completely general, I was more meaning, I knew it would work for me.

 

[qqwref]

Codecs are always an issue for video files from new sources, which is probably why big codec packs exist. I don't think it's much of an argument against pirated materials to say that you might need to find a new codec to play it properly, because this is true of video files in general (legal ones too, I mean).

Kir is right in saying that pirated materials are often easier to use. It's really one of the biggest ironies in the copyright wars. If the purchased movie was the one that had no ads, had no weird copy protection stuff, and worked on many devices, there would be a good reason to avoid the pirated one... but when it's the other way around it's really easy to see why people would deliberately avoid paying for the film.

 

[Zarxrax]

Have you ever applied a rubik's color scheme to your non-rubik's brand cube? Congratulations, you just violated copyright.
And if we want to follow the absurd notion that many people take, that copyright infringement = theft, then you just stole something

 

[Goosly]

Have you ever applied a rubik's color scheme to your non-rubik's brand cube? Congratulations, you just violated copyright.

I don't think it's a crime if you apply the color scheme to your own cube and don't sell it.

 

[Zarxrax]

I don't think it's a crime if you apply the color scheme to your own cube and don't sell it.

So as long as its for your own personal use, and you don't sell it, then copyright doesn't apply?
So as long as I pirate music and movies and games for my own personal use, and don't sell them, it's cool?

 

[Goosly]

^
Actually, it is. Belgium has a law that says you are allowed to have digital copies of music, movies, etc.. if it is for personal use. You do not need to have an original version (DVD, CD, ...)
We even pay extra taxes on USB-sticks or external HDD's for this, called Auvibel-tax.

Wikipedia page (Dutch):
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auvibel-taks

 

[applemobile]

See, that makes complete and utter sense. People who pirate films, then make copies to sell on for a profit are the people who should be targeted.

 

[Godmil]

So as long as its for your own personal use, and you don't sell it, then copyright doesn't apply?
So as long as I pirate music and movies and games for my own personal use, and don't sell them, it's cool?

Nonono, you're talking about the difference between making something that is the same as something else and benefiting from having a copy of something that was intended to be paid for. For your analogy to work you'd have to do something like record a version of a song by yourself and not sell it... That would be fine.

 

[Ranzha]

See, that makes complete and utter sense. People who pirate films, then make copies to sell on for a profit are the people who should be targeted.

However, how does the media moderate piracy in this way? They don't. They honestly just want their products free from reproduction. Hello DMCA.

 

[Zarxrax]

Nonono, you're talking about the difference between making something that is the same as something else and benefiting from having a copy of something that was intended to be paid for. For your analogy to work you'd have to do something like record a version of a song by yourself and not sell it... That would be fine.

I'm sorry, but if you make something that is similar to something else, you are still possibly violating copyright. See this case: http://aandalawblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/red-bus-suggests-copyright-law-is-not.html

The "image" of the cube is a work of art, and as such, is copyrighted. By reason, if you go to a public place (such as a competition) with your unauthorized cube, you are in fact displaying a copy of that image publicly, which could be a violation of copyright law.

 

[Mike Hughey]

Actually, it is. Belgium has a law that says you are allowed to have digital copies of music, movies, etc.. if it is for personal use. You do not need to have an original version (DVD, CD, ...)
We even pay extra taxes on USB-sticks or external HDD's for this, called Auvibel-tax.

There are actually many countries that do something like this, including the USA. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy.

I always heavily resented this fee, since I bought a lot of blank CDs to record my own personal music (a symphony I wrote and performed on a keyboard, and some classical organ music which is well past copyright date) to distribute to family and friends, and so the recording industry got a cut on my own private work. It just seems outrageously unfair that they can collect royalties on my stuff which they have contributed absolutely nothing to.

 

[stricgoogle]

I always pirate stuff. Maybe, if I REALLY want to play online, I will buy the game. Of course, if there's no other way around it. I can get it for free, so I do. I wouldn't buy stuff anyway, so it isn't like they lost money with it.

This thread was very interesting to read.

The disadvantages are, sometimes the encoding is poor, it can be tricky sometimes sourcing a good/correct version, may not work on all your devices.

Would just like to say, all of these are "sometimes", and all can be avoided.

 

[aznanimedude]

many justify it as piracy lets you decide whether something is crap or not. many pirate it and then when they realize it's crap are now glad they didn't get suckered into paying money for it, and vice versa many are more than willing to financially support things they like

i personally have done that, the stuff i pirated and ended up liking, i bought because in my mind that helps them to keep developing or writing music or whatnot

 

[Kirjava]

My justification is that I am being the change I want to see in the world.

 

[Escher]

My justification is that I am being the change I want to see in the world.

You go sister

 

[EntireTV]

I'm a (hobbyist) EDM music producer. Of course I pirate VST's.