Poll: Piracy. Good, or bad?

[zauxz]

What do you think?

Did you ever downloaded a game/movie?

And should "pirates" be punished?

My opinion: Think of it this way: ( i allready mentioned this in another thread)

Lets say you are a box salesman ( developer). I come to your store and buy your box. Then, I take it home, and start making exact copies of that box.

Later i start giving them away for free

What's wrong with that?

Please post your opinion.

 

[Major_Sam]

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

 

[scotth266]

You've spelled serious wrong, and someone will certainly cry Search Bar on you for this.

My opinion is that while there are SOME VERY LIMITED good reasons to pirate something, too many people download games just to get them for free for piracy to be regarded as anything but a crime.

 

[oliveira8]

Cause the guy that made the box is not getting paid for the box he made. Which means no money to create more boxes/sustent family/drugs/hookers.

 

[zauxz]

You've spelled serious wrong, and someone will certainly cry Search Bar on you for this.

My opinion is that while there are SOME VERY LIMITED good reasons to pirate something, too many people download games just to get them for free for piracy to be regarded as anything but a crime.

Sorry, still learning.

serious- only one r. Got it.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

Downloading music has led to a shite mainstream music scene, usually the only people who alot of albums now are 12 year olds girls, I'm sure some people on here will say they do, but pretty much everyone I know downloads, however 12 year old girls don't know how to download so they buy cds. Because 12 year old girls are the only people buying cds they are now the target audience for record companies, and most 12 year old girls have an appaling taste in music and thus we have an appaling mainstream.

On the other hand I think it's great bands can get their music out there for free, at this point I don't think there is one band who are signed to a large record label that would complain about you downloading their music. Bands signed to major record labels make next to nothing on every album sale, all their money comes from touring, so if they can distribute their music for free then they have an oppurtiunity to gain more fans and thus more people will turn up to their shows, meaning more money.

The only people who really suffer from music piracy are record labels, and we may see and end to them soon, the only positive thing they do is help up and coming artists book tours, aside from that all they care about is the money, so I think seeing a shake up in the music industry will be a good thing.

That's only music piracy though, I don't know about video games or movies, I believe the conditions surrounding them are vastly different.

 

[ShadeOfRed]

I do it, I don't see anything terribly wrong about it. You know how you like one song by a band, but don't want to pay 20 bucks for the whole album, or don't want to spend 20 bucks on one of those iTunes cards? Yeah, that's generally when I pirate. It saves me more money than anybody actually makes from the sale.
I've also pirated a few GBA ROMS, but only for ones I couldn't find after going through many-a-game store to find it, and MOTHER 3.

 

[incubus42]

What about a third option?

Nothing wrong with piracy, but if/when I like something that I downloaded I don't mind buying it later.

 

[Ghostkai]

Using the OP's box maker comparison.

The box maker makes 10 boxes.

9 people and yourself want a box.

You buy 1, you then duplicate it (using magic, and it costs you no money, at all).

You give away 9 others to the other people who wanted them, for free.

Word spreads, that theres no need to buy the box maker's boxes anymore, because they are readily avaliable for free.

Box maker has still only sold 1 box. He goes out of business.

He dies.


Piracy is bad.

 

[munx13]

I think of piracy as a big "F YOU" button in case the developers/distributors decide to make a move that I do not like.

 

[Oolinthu]

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

You pirating it means one less sale made. And they do add up. So whats the difference of selling the stuff and the guy whos buying it downloading it directly? In China they try to stop piracy by making it ultra cheap. Too bad it failed cause they also improved their internet. For me, downloading that 600mb file would mean costing me more then buying it in China. As it was 10 yuan (around 35 cents US)

Not necessarily. Call it casual interest. There are many cases in which someone will download a song, a movie, or a game because they're vaguely interested and can do so for free, but wouldn't actually pay money for the good in question. Thus it can be said that no sales are being lost, because the person wouldn't have bought it anyway at its current price.

 

[zauxz]

What about a third option?

Nothing wrong with piracy, but if/when I like something that I downloaded I don't mind buying it later.

Added.

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

You pirating it means one less sale made. And they do add up. So whats the difference of selling the stuff and the guy whos buying it downloading it directly? In China they try to stop piracy by making it ultra cheap. Too bad it failed cause they also improved their internet. For me, downloading that 600mb file would mean costing me more then buying it in China. As it was 10 yuan (around 35 cents US)

Not necessarily. Call it casual interest. There are many cases in which someone will download a song, a movie, or a game because they're vaguely interested and can do so for free, but wouldn't actually pay money for the good in question. Thus it can be said that no sales are being lost, because the person wouldn't have bought it anyway at its current price.

You sir, have an excelent point.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Serves him right for not streamlining his production facilities and cutting his costs. Welcome to capitalism. Really, in that regard piracy is simply an expression of the unregulated free market, and quite honestly - I like it.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

I'm gonna have to agree with Sam here.
I also think pirates should recieve lighter sentences if they dress talk and act like real pirates. For example...

Spoiler: Male

Spoiler: Female

 

[zauxz]

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

I'm gonna have to agree with Sam here.
I also think pirates should recieve lighter sentences if they dress talk and act like real pirates. For example...

Spoiler: Male

Spoiler: Female

Well then, that would certanly explain why is it called "piracy"

 

[goatzilla8463]

Indifference is a great thing.

I find downloading a movies/songs/games for your own private use too common to be counted as a punishable crime. But when you make many copies and sell them for a huge profit, that's when I think something should be done about it.

I'm gonna have to agree with Sam here.
I also think pirates should recieve lighter sentences if they dress talk and act like real pirates. For example...

Spoiler: Male

Spoiler: Female

*Bows down to one with greater knowledge than I*

 

[Gitsnik]

Christ I'm the first person who thinks piracy is "Other" (Edit: Someone chose it after me! Damned slow typing skills) I would have pegged a few more people for this choice.

So, to explain:

Piracy is an interesting thing, in so far as I view it as ANTI DRM. I don't think people should be downloading everything all the time, indeed I get amazingly shitty with people who do, but I think I should be permitted to use a product or some music for a time (think the old 120 day share ware). If I like it, I buy it, if I don't, it either sits there and never gets used, or I delete it.

I draw the line (and almost intentionally pirate) when someone attempts to embed tracking information in my files, or refuses to let me use something unless I have, say, an active internet connection. But this doesn't mean I'm out there ripping off the media companies. I own albums of all the bands I like, I own more DVD's than I do gigabytes of disk space and I generally pay for what I use.

So, to continue this thought process, how would I fix it? Some sort of sliding scale. If I use an audio track once a year (say at my parents birthday party) and don't listen to it again - I am disinclined to think I should pay for that, though they definitely should if they're listening to it all the time.

*shrugs* I guess at the end of the day the person who makes the "IP" makes the rules.

 

[Abedeus]

I download when:

a) it's too old to buy/see/listen to legally.
b) I can't get demo version or there is no demo version.
c) I have no ability to get it in my country.
d) I already own it.

Btw, search is your friend.