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MacRy

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2004
4,351
6,278
England
notjustjay said:
If your post is targeted at me, MacRy, please know that I'm just expressing what appears to be the popular sentiment. I am not defending piracy.

It wasn't targeted specifically at you I promise.

NoSmokingBandit said:
Stealing a Porsche is not comparable to making a copy of a cd. Try again.

Only because of the perception that because it is a higher value item it is a more serious crime. It is still theft of someone else's property. Like someone else has pointed out - if you could download a Porsche in near anonymity then I bet a lot of people would do that too. I suspect that the total value of illegal downloads outstrips that of Porsche theft.
 

NoSmokingBandit

macrumors 68000
Apr 13, 2008
1,579
3
Only because of the perception that because it is a higher value item it is a more serious crime.

Nope.
Stealing anything is not the same as violating a copyright. You can call it "stealing" all day long like the MPAA propaganda does, but it isnt, its a copyright violation. Stealing a pack of gum is not analogous to downloading a Weezer cd.
 

MacRy

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2004
4,351
6,278
England
NoSmokingBandit said:
Nope.
Stealing anything is not the same as violating a copyright. You can call it "stealing" all day long like the MPAA propaganda does, but it isnt, its a copyright violation. Stealing a pack of gum is not analogous to downloading a Weezer cd.

Well if that's the justification that helps you sleep at night then you go for it ;)

As far as my, perhaps overly simplistic, mind works - Person creates something and it gets put up for sale. Another person doesn't pay for it but takes it anyway. Theft. Think of it from a personal point of view. If you created something and wanted to make a living through selling it and people chose instead to obtain it illegally, would you be quite so comfortable in their choice and call it "propaganda"?
 

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,566
I love the argument that because something is deemed to be too expensive then it's ok to steal it. Would you apply that to other material items? I really want a Porsche but they are very expensive and I can't afford one. It doesn't mean that I go and steal one though! But the car industry makes so much money and the MD's are earning millions of dollars a year so why shouldn't I steal it? I have a right to it surely?

This was always a lame excuse. If somebody thinks a product is too expensive, and they can get it without paying, they would always have the choice to get it while paying what they think it should cost. For example, if you want to use Snow Leopard or Windows 7 on your computer, and you decide it is too expensive, you could always make an illegal copy, then decide how much the software was worth, put that amount of money into an envelope and send it to Apple or Microsoft. That is what you would do if you wanted to protest against high prices, or if you genuinely couldn't afford the full price. I doubt this has ever happened.
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
If i could download a Porsche you can bet your ass my 02 Focus wont be driven by me ever again.

OK, as long as we're on this silly example...

Suppose that your downloaded Porsche, since it doesn't have an original VIN, cannot be properly serviced at the dealership. So if you download yourself a Porsche, you're on your own for all your maintenance and repairs.

Suppose also that to buy a proper, registered Porsche, was something quite reasonable like (for a car) $10,000.

Would you still download it? Or would you just pay up?

My point is, make a high quality product, price it at what people expect to pay (or less!) and people will pay for it.
 

NoSmokingBandit

macrumors 68000
Apr 13, 2008
1,579
3
That was a joke ^^
Although, if i could download a porsche why wouldnt i just download a new alternator when it does bad ;)

Well if that's the justification that helps you sleep at night then you go for it ;)

Where did i justify anything? I'm simply telling you the difference between theft and copyright violation. If you refuse to see it then you are choosing to be ignorant and i can't continue a conversation with you.
 

MacRy

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2004
4,351
6,278
England
NoSmokingBandit said:
If you refuse to see it then you are choosing to be ignorant and i can't continue a conversation with you.

Suits me fine. Calling me ignorant because I don't share your skewed view of, what is technically, theft doesn't make you right and means this conversation won't go anywhere anyway.
 

liquidsuns

macrumors 6502
Jun 23, 2009
341
24
Yeah, you only think Netflix is a good deal because you're ripping all the movies you get. The market calls for a $20 movie, so pay it or stop stealing/ripping others off.



I don't find it all that expensive, but then again, I don't see the need to have all this media in my collection.



They aren't making up their own salary. There is something called the "Board of Directors" that sets this.



Acting isn't a simple job at all and they aren't just shooting a movie in a few days either. There's a reason why everyone is not an actor/actress.

If you feel it costs too much, how about living within your means and stop stealing things? Purchasing a NetFlix subscription does not give you the right to copy and retain ownership of the media.

Self righteous enough there, buddy? You make a lot of assumptions about things like why I like netflix, how many movies I've ripped, and whether or not thinking something is overpriced means I can't afford it.

And I don't view pirating as stealing because no one is losing anything. If I rip a movie I rented, well...I wouldn't have bought it anyways, so no one even missed out on that, and no physical product was taken preventing them from selling it to someone else. I guess you do view it as stealing, we disagree...shocking.

I think pirating is a fully American, Capitalistic thing to do. Take advantage of every opportunity to exploit whatever and whoever you can, that's what we are all about here. If corporations can do it, then we can do it right back to them. And we're talking about some pixels ripped off a disc here, not that big of deal.

But maybe you could try dropping the condescending attitude if you want anyone to care about what you think about anything. It's obnoxious. If you can do that and actually have something constructive to say, instead of just trying to insult people, I'm totally open to hear your ideas and opinions.
 

belvdr

macrumors 603
Aug 15, 2005
5,945
1,372
Self righteous enough there, buddy?

You may feel that way, but it doesn't equate to the truth.

You make a lot of assumptions about things like why I like netflix, how many movies I've ripped, and whether or not thinking something is overpriced means I can't afford it.

True, but your attitude insinuates that. From your remarks, it seems you are copying as many movies as possible that roll into your mailbox. If that is incorrect, I apologize for my assumptions. However, I still stand by my statement above:

Purchasing a NetFlix subscription does not give you the right to copy and retain ownership of the media (and I'll add) its contents.

And I don't view pirating as stealing because no one is losing anything. If I rip a movie I rented, well...I wouldn't have bought it anyways, so no one even missed out on that, and no physical product was taken preventing them from selling it to someone else. I guess you do view it as stealing, we disagree...shocking.

The normal transaction is based on two parts. You hand over money and you acquire an object/property. So you completed part of the transaction (acquiring the object/property) and didn't finish the deal. So how is nobody losing out? You gained something, but somebody else didn't. How is this okay?

Besides, if you wouldn't have bought it anyway, why did you rip it? Obviously it's because you gained some enjoyment from it. The company needs to be compensated for that.

I think pirating is a fully American, Capitalistic thing to do. Take advantage of every opportunity to exploit whatever and whoever you can, that's what we are all about here. If corporations can do it, then we can do it right back to them. And we're talking about some pixels ripped off a disc here, not that big of deal.

What corporation is ripping you off where you cannot help it? The answer is: none. If they were doing that, I'm sure you wouldn't be happy.

It's not what "we are all about here." It's not American nor capitalistic to violate others' rights.

But maybe you could try dropping the condescending attitude if you want anyone to care about what you think about anything. It's obnoxious.

Your remarks imply a self righteous attitude towards piracy, where it's you against "the man". If you can't take it, then don't dish it out.
 

liquidsuns

macrumors 6502
Jun 23, 2009
341
24
You may feel that way, but it doesn't equate to the truth.



True, but your attitude insinuates that. From your remarks, it seems you are copying as many movies as possible that roll into your mailbox. If that is incorrect, I apologize for my assumptions. However, I still stand by my statement above:

Purchasing a NetFlix subscription does not give you the right to copy and retain ownership of the media (and I'll add) its contents.



The normal transaction is based on two parts. You hand over money and you acquire an object/property. So you completed part of the transaction (acquiring the object/property) and didn't finish the deal. So how is nobody losing out? You gained something, but somebody else didn't. How is this okay?

Besides, if you wouldn't have bought it anyway, why did you rip it? Obviously it's because you gained some enjoyment from it. The company needs to be compensated for that.



What corporation is ripping you off where you cannot help it? The answer is: none. If they were doing that, I'm sure you wouldn't be happy.

It's not what "we are all about here." It's not American nor capitalistic to violate others' rights.



Your remarks imply a self righteous attitude towards piracy, where it's you against "the man". If you can't take it, then don't dish it out.

Take your first statement and apply it to yourself. You're the one attacking someone else's opinion. Self righteousness means you have an intolerance of someone else's opinion, which is what you are doing. I fully respect your opinion that piracy is wrong and is hurting someone. I don't agree though.

I never implied I was ripping every movie I get through netflix. I never even said I never buy movies. I just said I feel they are overpriced most of the time and rip some that I might want to watch again from netflix. I've bought more from itunes then I have ripped. But my personal practices aren't really what was being discussed. Some people do rip tons and tons of flicks, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that either. Taking advantage of any economic opportunity is exactly what capitalism is. It's what my country is all about and piracy flows perfectly within it's philosophy.

This has nothing to do with me against the "man". We're talking about entertainment here. Me popping Superbad into my Mac and copying it isn't self righteous and isn't me against the man. I just don't want to spend $20 to be able to watch it a few times. Hell, I could just get it again from netflix at no added expense anyways or even stream it countless times(maybe), so I don't see what the big deal is that you get so offended by. Everyone involved in the movie is making plenty of money. But when Inception is available in HD with Extras on iTunes, I'll gladly pay for that, because I think it's worth the money. But if someone does want to pirate Inception, and they have the means to do so, then more power to them, they should Capitalize on that opportunity. The flick already grossed hundreds of millions of dollars, I'm sure they'll be fine.

My point in responding to you was to suggest that if you want to discuss something with someone, maybe try not being so condescending and insulting to them because it's not going to lead to any constructive discussion most of the time. You'll be self righteous, thus pointless to discuss with, and they'll be defensive and angry at you, thus pointless to discuss with. Just chill out on attacking other people's opinion.
 

netdog

macrumors 603
Feb 6, 2006
5,760
38
London
I've never pirated any music of video that was available for sale as a download on the Internet.

In fact, I've never downloaded music illegally at all, and only a couple of movies that couldn't be bought from iTunes, and I've bought the DVDs so that I at least feel justified in having a license.

I've bought loads of music, movies and TV shows from iTunes, and on thousands of CDs and hundreds of DVDs.

Piracy is theft, but the DVD vendors, in their infinite wisdom, try to make it difficult for me to put the movie I've bought onto my hard drive for some reason. I think that DVD copy protection will hurt their business more than it will help it.
 

Melrose

Suspended
Dec 12, 2007
7,806
399
Even if it meant you had the BEST specs, minus the hard drive and extra hardware? And it included a SIM insert? And by this time you would get 1gbps speeds? :D

Hell, if that happens just plug me into the damn Matrix and be done with it. :D
 

belvdr

macrumors 603
Aug 15, 2005
5,945
1,372
Take your first statement and apply it to yourself. You're the one attacking someone else's opinion. Self righteousness means you have an intolerance of someone else's opinion, which is what you are doing.

Good grief, I am not doing that. I am simply presenting another view. You are assuming that but trying to present it as fact.

I never implied I was ripping every movie I get through netflix. I never even said I never buy movies. I just said I feel they are overpriced most of the time and rip some that I might want to watch again from netflix. I've bought more from itunes then I have ripped. But my personal practices aren't really what was being discussed. Some people do rip tons and tons of flicks, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that either. Taking advantage of any economic opportunity is exactly what capitalism is. It's what my country is all about and piracy flows perfectly within it's philosophy.

Great, so how about if someone were to plug some of their electric appliances that draw some significant kW into your external power outlet? They're just taking advantage of an economic opportunity, so that would be cool too even though you're paying for it, right?

This has nothing to do with me against the "man". We're talking about entertainment here. Me popping Superbad into my Mac and copying it isn't self righteous and isn't me against the man.

Did you just look up "self-righteous" and are looking for places to use it? I never said copying a movie was, nor is there any way for the act to be.

Why is entertainment a business lower on the totem pole where it allows you to copy content at will, when you know for certain that it costs money to obtain it otherwise?

I just don't want to spend $20 to be able to watch it a few times. Hell, I could just get it again from netflix at no added expense anyways or even stream it countless times(maybe), so I don't see what the big deal is that you get so offended by.

Having a strong opinion does not mean I'm offended. Besides if you have have it delivered by Netflix, watch it a few times and then send it back. Why copy it in the first place?

Everyone involved in the movie is making plenty of money. But when Inception is available in HD with Extras on iTunes, I'll gladly pay for that, because I think it's worth the money. But if someone does want to pirate Inception, and they have the means to do so, then more power to them, they should Capitalize on that opportunity. The flick already grossed hundreds of millions of dollars, I'm sure they'll be fine.

You think they'll be fine, but you have confirmed you don't know this for a fact. Also, "they" includes a lot of people, some of which could be struggling to make ends meet. You are stating your assumptions as fact, once again.

My point in responding to you was to suggest that if you want to discuss something with someone, maybe try not being so condescending and insulting to them because it's not going to lead to any constructive discussion most of the time. You'll be self righteous, thus pointless to discuss with, and they'll be defensive and angry at you, thus pointless to discuss with. Just chill out on attacking other people's opinion.

If you can't take criticism, then why even respond to any posts? You will never agree with everyone.

Sure, I'm blunt and that may anger some folks, but once again, that (as well as insults, which I never did anyway) doesn't equate to self-righteousness.
 

Apple OC

macrumors 68040
Oct 14, 2010
3,667
4,328
Hogtown
one other view on Piracy when it comes to software, It is obvious some large software companies want people to pirate their products just so you learn them and get used to them. They know when you get older and more mature you will buy them because you are familiar with them.

plus 99.99% of businesses do not pirate software and this is how they make All their money.

This also creates Market Dominance ... MicroSoft and Adobe have been doing this for years

evidence? ... how can a half dozen crack codes unlock 10,000 versions of Windows or Photoshop.

Piracy by the masses is easier to stop than made out to be
 

tablo13

macrumors 65816
Jul 29, 2010
1,151
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Used to do it. Don't anymore, unless it's on trial basis. I don't think it can be stopped, however I think the majority of pirates are greasy kids downloading music on limewire, and as they grow up, the have more of a responsibility about them and buy music and whatever else they may pirate. That's exactly what happened to myself. I realised I was killing the industry and the ability to pirate was kinda spoiling me.

I'd rather pay cash.
People still download from LIMEWIRE? :rolleyes: Full of fake files....

I love the argument that because something is deemed to be too expensive then it's ok to steal it. Would you apply that to other material items? I really want a Porsche but they are very expensive and I can't afford one. It doesn't mean that I go and steal one though! But the car industry makes so much money and the MD's are earning millions of dollars a year so why shouldn't I steal it? I have a right to it surely?

Just because it's easy to download/steal something doesn't mean you should. My neighbour has a really nice motorcycle and his garage is rarely locked so maybe I should just take it because he hasn't secured it properly. Hey, he earns plenty of cash and his insurance will pay up so why shouldn't I have it because after all I deserve it for free don't I?

Seriously! There is no defending piracy.
:rolleyes: Porsche = $50,000+ Entertainment = usually under $20

This was always a lame excuse. If somebody thinks a product is too expensive, and they can get it without paying, they would always have the choice to get it while paying what they think it should cost. For example, if you want to use Snow Leopard or Windows 7 on your computer, and you decide it is too expensive, you could always make an illegal copy, then decide how much the software was worth, put that amount of money into an envelope and send it to Apple or Microsoft. That is what you would do if you wanted to protest against high prices, or if you genuinely couldn't afford the full price. I doubt this has ever happened.

But then people will all send $0.01 or nothing ;) Like all the reviews for lite apps :p
 

AAPLaday

Guest
Aug 6, 2008
2,411
2
Manchester UK
Dont pirate, used to when i was at college. Only about 10 albums though. Since deleted and re bought them once i got a job at 18. No need to now. If i want an album i can listen to it on spotify or you know, save up for it. £7 isn't a lot. Especially when most albums released these days aren't worth owning.
 

KingYaba

macrumors 68040
Aug 7, 2005
3,414
12
Up the irons
There are enough comparable free alternatives that pirating software isn't necessary. It's also ill-advised because of the malware potential. To each is own, really. I know, some people think they can't function without Photoshop yet they still don't buy it...
 

Gomff

macrumors 6502a
Sep 17, 2009
802
1
Before Internet music piracy came along, Album CD's were getting more and more expensive. In the UK, the average price of an album in the late 90's was about £12 - £15 and climbing. In my opinion, the music industry was getting greedier and greedier.

Since MP3's and Napster / Limewire etc, album CD's have come down in price and steadied out at about £8. I'm convinced that if internet piracy hadn't come along we'd be paying £30 and the music industry fat cats who do nothing but protect their own interests and leach off talented artists would just be getting richer.

I know it's controversial to say so, but internet piracy has kept music prices reasonable....I suspect it's doing the same thing with DVD / Blu Ray and software prices too. I always used to buy CD's and rip them when iTunes had DRM, but since it's been stripped out I happily buy stuff from the iTunes store. I won't buy books from any retailer for the same reason.....Whilst they have DRM I won't go near them.

If I buy any media, I like to know that I'll be able to use it on some other device in the future and DRM makes this harder.
 

opinioncircle

macrumors 6502
May 17, 2009
493
0
As I've recently gone into the workforce, I find myself to download much less content I used to.

But the thing is, and I believe studios do NOT get that point, is that different movie versions of a movie can be made available in non english speaking countries.

Simple example, to get an English speaking movie, there is no other way to find a movie theater showing the movie, in its "native" language where you live. Which outside of major cities is a pain.

To download it, you need to (on iTunes) to have an account from another country. Pain as well. Can't watch it on Hulu or Amazon.com.

My point is that every download is not motivated by these factors, but to me they are.

While Hollywood studios post record grossings year after year, toping all time highs, they do not adapt to technologies.

In my own little world, my solution would be to provide movies with multi-language options in the form of a monthly package.

Moreover that infringement rights policy needs to change.

Let's say 35 euros/month for unlimited streaming of movies.

I'd buy that in an heartbeat...

Here are my .02 cents.
 

Mactrillionaire

macrumors regular
Oct 16, 2010
211
0
It basically cannot be stopped due to the nature of the internet and encryption.
Industry will have to adapt.
Believe me when I say it can be stopped; however, the caveat is that systems must transition to a very locked down usage model. I imagine many users would complain about using such locked down systems. Despite that, I applaud all reasonable efforts to protect licensed content. In general, operating systems have to evolve to allow licensors to have more realistic licensing options that they know cannot be circumvented. If that is the case, reasonable prices for programs even like Adobe Photoshop might be realized (i.e., if you can choose which program features are available in a given license and also choose from fully-functional temporary licenses). Software as a service is a better model for how most people use software than the current model is. Most people don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for a single version of software that provides what they consider basic functionality. Therefore, the industry will adapt by providing more reasonable licensing options; or, if it does not, piracy will continue until a locked down model comes along that eliminates its possibility. Furthermore, even if piracy is eliminated, there is no guarantee that software companies will be able to dictate licensing terms without consideration for user needs indefinitely. There will definitely be a backlash as long as licenses do not consider licensee priorities as much as they consider licensor priorities. That's just the nature of agreements (i.e., they are supposed to be two-way streets).
 

0007776

Suspended
Jul 11, 2006
6,473
8,170
Somewhere
Believe me when I say it can be stopped; however, the caveat is that systems must transition to a very locked down usage model.

There is piracy of apps on iOS and you can't get much more locked down than that while still having a system that's usable for anything. So no matter how locked down systems get there still will be piracy. It can be minimized by studios making it more convenient to buy than pirate, but there will always be some who pirate.
 
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