james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
1 edit | reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Copyright infringement is ALSO a criminal offense
Actually, the definition for them to pursue criminal charges it must be "willful and for monetary gain".
*edit* correction, in the U.S. you are guilty of a felony if you even download a single song, movie or program without the consent of the copyright owner. As Yakov Smirnoff would say: "what a country!"
On a side note, I think this is the first time I've seen the term software "pirate" applied to actual software pirates. Free distribution isn't piracy, piracy is when people sell copies for money and take actual sales away from the owner. |
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
| said by james  : Free distribution isn't piracy, piracy is when people sell copies for money and take actual sales away from the owner. If I give out a million version of some piece of software for FREE instead I'm not taking away actual sales away from the owner? I beg to differ.
And to say "well those people never would have bought that real thing anyways" isn't an exucse. You could use that to justify any theft. People that spend their hard earned money on software have to pay and people too cheap to pay get it for FREE and somehow there is nothing wrong with this? Of course there is. If something is not worth paying for then it's not worth having then, now is it? |
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axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC | The difference is you are certain that someone had the money if they paid for it... when I was in high school/college I knew plenty of downloaders, now that everyone I know has money, nobody pirates |
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81399672
Premium
join:2006-05-17
Los Angeles, CA
| said by axus :The difference is you are certain that someone had the money if they paid for it... when I was in high school/college I knew plenty of downloaders, now that everyone I know has money, nobody pirates Are you sure no one pirates? You might think they don't pirate but they like do. If you know what you're doing, their is no reason of why you would not continue doing it. |
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james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| Interestingly, I've found that since I've had more money, and Steam and my Wii allow me to instantly get any game I want without leaving the couch, my downloading of "warez" has dropped severely. I've even bought games that I downloaded back in the old days, like doom 3, deus ex, super mario, and many more.
In order for people to want to pay for something, it has to be easier to pay than to download it for free. It's especially hurtful for the companies when their copy protection limits the people who actually purchase their music (as an example), while those who download the mp3s are getting a superior product for free. |
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james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| reply to BF69
said by BF69 :If I give out a million version of some piece of software for FREE instead I'm not taking away actual sales away from the owner? I beg to differ. Most of my point was that it isnt accurate to call it Piracy, which used to imply that profit was being made.
If someone pays for pirated software it's 100% verifiable that it's a lost sale to the company. Downloading for free, on the other hand, wouldn't be 100% lost sales, and could in fact boost revenue in some situations (ie Photoshop). |
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averagedude
join:2002-01-30
Mesa, AZ
 ·Cox HSI
2 edits | reply to james
said by james1 :
In order for people to want to pay for something, it has to be easier to pay than to download it for free. It's especially hurtful for the companies when their copy protection limits the people who actually purchase their music (as an example), while those who download the mp3s are getting a superior product for free.
And that is human nature/behavior that many companies fail to understand. |
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