Alternate view:

Is internet piracy stealing? NO

Why not? I do not recognise the concept of intellectual property rights.

I obey the law through fear of sanctions.

This not an original view. It was in fact state policy of The Soviet Union and the PRC,where it remains unofficial policy.(only this week the impoverished Rupert Murdoch was in China trying to convince the Chinese that it's in the best interest of the PRC to respect copyright)


I express this as an alternate moral view, as valid as any other presented here.. I have no interest in arguing the point with anyone,especially one of our resident Libertarians.

I understand pirating certain things because they are overpriced; it's almost a form of rebellion to get a company to listen. The average family now a days can't afford products like Photoshop and OS's so easily. I've been there and done that...but it does take quite some skill to not get a virus or malware from it...since it's so easy to contract one from a torrent and files. So...it's like walking on eggshells with the possibility of stepping on a bad yolk...it's not always easy to tell. The reason I miss the Pirate Bay because at least these torrents are reviewed or you can tell from how users see it to be trusted.

So now...I don't do it anymore...and even then, I stick to keygens that people type out.

Strangely, I feel no guilt from what I have torrented. Of course, I hope when I get to college that Microsoft Office 2007 will come quite cheap with that discount for students. Even then...that's going to be paid on Financial Aid money because I can't find a job...since I have no experience and the economy sucks.

(October 11, 2009 at 12:33 pm)Falhalterra Wrote: I understand pirating certain things because they are overpriced; it's almost a form of rebellion to get a company to listen.

Companies only "hear" through dollars spent. Each dollar counts as a vote for the product it was spent on so the non-action of piracy will NOT be "felt" by any company but there will be effects from the action. When sales volumes are high, prices drop, when they are low prices rise. Price points are effected by volume because, with increased sales come economies of scale which allow the operating costs of the business and sunk costs, such as research and development (studio time in the music business is roughly the same), to be spread over a larger number of units so unit cost goes down.

The only way a company can comprehend piracy is through a budgeting model that incorporates the opportunity cost per unit and somehow finds a method to track how many of their units are being pirated. For a business that adopts this budgeting model the net effect of piracy is an INCREASE in unit cost and therefore sales price to account for the additional cost from piracy.

Bottom line, the only way to be "heard" economically is through the act of buying. I adhere to this principle because it is self serving and increases the chance that a certain industry will produce products that conform to my needs.

If you can't afford it, you have two choices:

1. find something you are already purchasing that you want less than the product you can't afford and alter your purchasing habits so you can save up

2. obtain a better source of money so you can afford more stuff

Rhizo

or look for a cheaper alternative that might not be 100% the same but still works well.

(October 9, 2009 at 6:23 pm)Eilonnwy Wrote: If everyone decided it was okay to steal because it doesn't matter, then it will eventually destroy that music industry. If that's what you want, fine.

No offense to your friend, but this is actually something I'd like to see.

The current model is not in the best interest of art. The current model encourages and fosters stagnant garbage. I could do without more people making music as a means of getting rich and famous.

I think Spotify is going to be the saviour of the music industry now. Their latest version allows for offline syncing, so you don't have to be connected to the internet to listen to your favourite music (only for Premium members). It's the main reason I decided to subscribe to their premium service, and now I pay £9.99 a month to listen to all the music I want.

Cheaper than buying it, access to an ever-growing library of music, no adverts, and it's perfectly legal.

Spotify is, indeed, amazing.

EvF

Spotify, unfortunately, is not available in the US. =/

I heard there was a way for them to get through, but it's tricky. I think Adrian said something on the matter months back. I forget how it's done myself...:S

In the future hopefully it will be available in the US...I think it's planning to be.

EvF

If I buy any product or service and then give it away, do I not have that right?

Someone in a prev post said if you buy it you have the right to re-sell it or give it away. It's your property.

If I buy a lawnmower, use it and then decide to mow a few of my neighbor's yards, then decide to give the mower away to Joe who then in turn mows other peoples yards and then gives the mower back to me, am I guilty of depriving the mower company's of sales since the other people me and Joe mowed the lawns of, and Joe himself, will not buy a mower? (Mower=the plastic disk - Mowed lawn=the 'tracks' of music)

I fail to see the big differance. I buy a CD of Music, stick them on my computer in a shared folder, other people download the songs from my computer. I brought them and it was my choice to give them away.