But yeah. DRM was like a good idea gone wrong... which is why I always decrypt my files if they do have DRM, like the official "Digital Copy" versions. I never buy them if I don't have to, but it's like Narnia 2, I'm not gonna let it waste either.
A discussion on the ethics of piracy
-
drfsupercenter
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
People have already pirated the Wii shop apps
But yeah. DRM was like a good idea gone wrong... which is why I always decrypt my files if they do have DRM, like the official "Digital Copy" versions. I never buy them if I don't have to, but it's like Narnia 2, I'm not gonna let it waste either.
But yeah. DRM was like a good idea gone wrong... which is why I always decrypt my files if they do have DRM, like the official "Digital Copy" versions. I never buy them if I don't have to, but it's like Narnia 2, I'm not gonna let it waste either.
Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
-
The_Iceflash
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1809
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:56 am
- Location: USA
What about people who feel the need to spite those "mean and vile corporations" and think they are doing a justice to society by doing so?Goliath wrote:Rudy Matt wrote:If copy protection existed 15 years ago, my cousin might still have a job with BMI. File sharing devastated the music industry.
I don't know whether to laugh or to cry about regular people who feel they need to defend big corporations who are ripping them off against the 'mean and vile pirates'...
-
drfsupercenter
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
Well they may be in the wrong, but I don't think it's any better than thinking all the pirates are evil people.
Downloading everything you can get your hands on for free because you're cheap/lazy is one thing... but occasionally renting movies and copying them, I don't think, is as big of a deal.
Part of the reason I buy DVDs is for the packaging. Like, the box art, the inserts, etc. And with companies getting cheaper and cheaper, I have less motivation to buy them to begin with
Like, most new Paramount movies just have a grey disc label, no paper inserts whatsoever... What's so great about owning it? That being said, I did get the Steelbook set of Iron Man...
Plus, with places like Blockbuster... I know Blockbuster already bought the DVDs, when you pay that $3.99 to rent them or whatever, does ANY of that money go back to the studio? Here I thought the store just keeps it all. Or certainly with my local library... They have hundreds of DVDs that you can check out for free. Therefore nobody is making any money off renting them. So if you want to copy one of those, it's not like they would have gotten your money had you not done it... (Hey, it's like a "try it before you buy it" with movies... I never buy a DVD unless I've seen the movie first...)
Downloading everything you can get your hands on for free because you're cheap/lazy is one thing... but occasionally renting movies and copying them, I don't think, is as big of a deal.
Part of the reason I buy DVDs is for the packaging. Like, the box art, the inserts, etc. And with companies getting cheaper and cheaper, I have less motivation to buy them to begin with
Like, most new Paramount movies just have a grey disc label, no paper inserts whatsoever... What's so great about owning it? That being said, I did get the Steelbook set of Iron Man...
Plus, with places like Blockbuster... I know Blockbuster already bought the DVDs, when you pay that $3.99 to rent them or whatever, does ANY of that money go back to the studio? Here I thought the store just keeps it all. Or certainly with my local library... They have hundreds of DVDs that you can check out for free. Therefore nobody is making any money off renting them. So if you want to copy one of those, it's not like they would have gotten your money had you not done it... (Hey, it's like a "try it before you buy it" with movies... I never buy a DVD unless I've seen the movie first...)
Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
-
Widdi
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:10 pm
- Location: North Bay, Ontario
I do not download anything illegally.
That being said, I do access pirated material regularly on the internet in the form of websites that stream movies over the internet. I do so not because I am unwilling to pay for access to these movies via theaters and DVD releases, but because I simply do not have access to most of what I watch online at a theater because the market is so small in my area that the theater gets nothing but the lowest common denominator appealing films spouted out by studios to make a quick buck.
It is true that I could wait for the DVD releases to view the films, but I am the type of person who will not buy a DVD without first seeing the movie. Blind-buys are just not possibly on my limited budget. And usually if I watch a movie I did like online I will buy it when it comes to DVD.
Am I making excuses? Yes. Do I care? No.
I think that pirating is a good and bad thing. It's good in that it allows more access to things that people have limited access to, but it's bad in the sense that it is stealing no matter how you spin it.
I have no plans to stop supporting it.
That being said, I do access pirated material regularly on the internet in the form of websites that stream movies over the internet. I do so not because I am unwilling to pay for access to these movies via theaters and DVD releases, but because I simply do not have access to most of what I watch online at a theater because the market is so small in my area that the theater gets nothing but the lowest common denominator appealing films spouted out by studios to make a quick buck.
It is true that I could wait for the DVD releases to view the films, but I am the type of person who will not buy a DVD without first seeing the movie. Blind-buys are just not possibly on my limited budget. And usually if I watch a movie I did like online I will buy it when it comes to DVD.
Am I making excuses? Yes. Do I care? No.
I think that pirating is a good and bad thing. It's good in that it allows more access to things that people have limited access to, but it's bad in the sense that it is stealing no matter how you spin it.
I have no plans to stop supporting it.
-
The_Iceflash
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1809
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:56 am
- Location: USA
That's actually being a wise consumer.Widdi wrote:
It is true that I could wait for the DVD releases to view the films, but I am the type of person who will not buy a DVD without first seeing the movie. Blind-buys are just not possibly on my limited budget.
It's risky buying a movie without seeing it and not knowing whether you like it or not. Many of us aren't in a financial situation that would even allow us to be that risky.
-
drfsupercenter
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
That's what I do too.
I just avoid actual downloads (unless they're complete .ISO files)... because I like having captions/subtitles (It's not that I can't hear... I just find it easier to understand accents and stuff) and menus and things.
Since I can get just about any DVD free from the Michigan library system, I have less reason to download rips if I can get the actual discs.
And then that does serve as kinda a "Try it before you buy it" service. And then there are movies that I personally don't like, but others do... so I figure if I have a copy of them I'll be better prepared in the social world
(And really, have you ever heard about anyone getting arrested for copying DVDs under the table? Usually it's just the people who download loads of torrents or the ones who actually rip the movies to share around)
Any movie that I really like I end up buying in the long run, anyway.
I just avoid actual downloads (unless they're complete .ISO files
)... because I like having captions/subtitles (It's not that I can't hear... I just find it easier to understand accents and stuff) and menus and things.Since I can get just about any DVD free from the Michigan library system, I have less reason to download rips if I can get the actual discs.
And then that does serve as kinda a "Try it before you buy it" service. And then there are movies that I personally don't like, but others do... so I figure if I have a copy of them I'll be better prepared in the social world
(And really, have you ever heard about anyone getting arrested for copying DVDs under the table? Usually it's just the people who download loads of torrents or the ones who actually rip the movies to share around)
Any movie that I really like I end up buying in the long run, anyway.
Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
-
The_Iceflash
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1809
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:56 am
- Location: USA
Do you steal designer clothes than, just to "not get screwed" by corporations that charge just for their name?Goliath wrote:I say: more power to them!The_Iceflash wrote:What about people who feel the need to spite those "mean and vile corporations" and think they are doing a justice to society by doing so?
Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database
-
drfsupercenter
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
No, but I buy the $5 shirts at Kohl's with no brand name
I don't see the point of designer clothes... if you're going into modeling, maybe... but if I can get a shirt of equal quality that has a funny saying or picture on it instead, why wouldn't I?
I don't see the point of designer clothes... if you're going into modeling, maybe... but if I can get a shirt of equal quality that has a funny saying or picture on it instead, why wouldn't I?
Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
-
xxhplinkxx
- Collector's Edition
- Posts: 2769
- Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
- Location: Your mind.
That pretty much sums me up.Goliath wrote:The only thing I ever download are songs. Not entire albums, but songs I like. And I have bought records of artists I would otherwise never have bought if I hadn't downloaded some of their songs in the first place. I never download movies or tv series. For one, I'm a technical n00b and I can't figure out how 'torrents' etc. work. Yes, pathetic for a 23 year old, but true. But even if I could, I wouldn't, because I'm a movie fan and I want my favorite movies on original releases.
"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."
I love Siren!
-
xxhplinkxx
- Collector's Edition
- Posts: 2769
- Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
- Location: Your mind.
Tell baby Jesus to start paying some of my stuff then!pap64 wrote:People who illegally download stuff make baby Jesus cry...
"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."
I love Siren!
-
drfsupercenter
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1279
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
I think the issue is (especially with today's economy!) there's just so much stuff coming out at once. I mean, you save up enough to get a few DVDs (or Blu-Rays) and there's like 5 times more you wouldn't mind getting!
So unless you're filthy rich, what do you do? You just download them or copy them from somewhere. Same with music. I buy CDs on occasion, but why would I spend $13 on a CD when there's only a track or two I really like anyway? It's just so much easier to download the mp3s of those songs. Yes, I know there's iTunes and stuff... but not everything exists on iTunes! If it can be downloaded legally I usually will, but it seems half the stuff I'm looking for just isn't on Amazon or iTunes. What other choice do I have?
(If someone can find me Eminem's newest single legally, be my guest! For now, I'll stick with the pre-release CD single I torrented)
Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
-
slave2moonlight
- Diamond Edition
- Posts: 4427
- Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:33 pm
- Location: TX
- Contact:
All I'm going to say about downloading, buying, or viewing anything illegal is that it's all a croc and all the attention should be focused on those who produce or upload/make available said materials, if it is something that should be illegal at all. Nip it in the bud or don't bother. Having said that, I'm still too chicken**** to do anything illegal myself, ha.
As an artist, I feel my fellow artists and myself have two schools of thought on the whole media sharing issue. There are those who believe art belongs to the artist (or the commissioner?), and those who believe art belongs to the people. Though, maybe it's only "the people" who believe art belongs to the people, I'm not sure about that one. So, maybe everything should be public domain, as we can still know that the source is the place we will get the best quality of an item most likely. Or maybe not. Then again, I'm sure few artists agree with that, and maybe they're right, as it's hard enough for an artist to make money without having to compete with everyone else for his or her own product. I'm not even sure where I stand on this, except that currently (and I think this is usually the case) I don't mind at all to see my work passed around, as I just want it to be "out there". If I ever get famous though, I suppose I'll complain anytime I see my work and I don't get paid for it. Is that selling out? If so, I think most creative people sell out... But, again, we have to eat... It's a real quizzybuck.
As an artist, I feel my fellow artists and myself have two schools of thought on the whole media sharing issue. There are those who believe art belongs to the artist (or the commissioner?), and those who believe art belongs to the people. Though, maybe it's only "the people" who believe art belongs to the people, I'm not sure about that one. So, maybe everything should be public domain, as we can still know that the source is the place we will get the best quality of an item most likely. Or maybe not. Then again, I'm sure few artists agree with that, and maybe they're right, as it's hard enough for an artist to make money without having to compete with everyone else for his or her own product. I'm not even sure where I stand on this, except that currently (and I think this is usually the case) I don't mind at all to see my work passed around, as I just want it to be "out there". If I ever get famous though, I suppose I'll complain anytime I see my work and I don't get paid for it. Is that selling out? If so, I think most creative people sell out... But, again, we have to eat... It's a real quizzybuck.
Last edited by slave2moonlight on Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5613
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:05 am
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Here I am, the resident 'grumpy old curmudgeon' with my two cents.
If it was legal it wouldn't be called 'piracy', now would it?
If it has a copy guard on it and you have to use some form of download to bypass the copyguard to make a copy of the product, then you are breaking the law. Or don't you read the FBI warning that is on every DVD or CD you purchase.
Read that disclaimer carefully and you will see that even making a copy for yourself is breaking the law.
I have over 6,000 DVD's and Blu-Ray Discs combined, and I have about 1,000 that I have recorded off of Encore's Western Channels, and they are all on DVD+RW and get erased when I can buy the legitimate release.
Am I wrong, yes I am wrong for having these copies, but I collect westerns from the 40s and 50s, and most of them have never nor will ever see the light of day on DVD - but I can hope.
People who make illegal copies of anything, DVD, CD, cassettes, 8-tracks, whatever, are breaking the law. But that being said, there are people doing it all the time. That is a fact of life.
But I will not be counted in those who make a living off of it, and refuse to support anyone who copies files for any reason.
If it was legal it wouldn't be called 'piracy', now would it?
If it has a copy guard on it and you have to use some form of download to bypass the copyguard to make a copy of the product, then you are breaking the law. Or don't you read the FBI warning that is on every DVD or CD you purchase.
Read that disclaimer carefully and you will see that even making a copy for yourself is breaking the law.
I have over 6,000 DVD's and Blu-Ray Discs combined, and I have about 1,000 that I have recorded off of Encore's Western Channels, and they are all on DVD+RW and get erased when I can buy the legitimate release.
Am I wrong, yes I am wrong for having these copies, but I collect westerns from the 40s and 50s, and most of them have never nor will ever see the light of day on DVD - but I can hope.
People who make illegal copies of anything, DVD, CD, cassettes, 8-tracks, whatever, are breaking the law. But that being said, there are people doing it all the time. That is a fact of life.
But I will not be counted in those who make a living off of it, and refuse to support anyone who copies files for any reason.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
-
slave2moonlight
- Diamond Edition
- Posts: 4427
- Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:33 pm
- Location: TX
- Contact:
A comment on DVDJunkie's last post.
Keep in mind that "illegal" isn't directly defined as "wrong". Not to mention that right and wrong are a moral issue, and therefore very personal issues. While I personally don't support anything illegal (well, usually), I will say that not all laws are right or make sense, or sometimes very difficult to live with at least, ha.
As for my saying "usually" about not supporting illegal activity, I certainly don't lay fault against folks who try to get films out there that studios are selfishly sitting on, like "Song of the South" or even the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special". As long as they aren't scalping people with their prices, I consider what they're doing a "good" thing. Like Robin Hood, stealing entertainment from the rich to share it with the poor.
Keep in mind that "illegal" isn't directly defined as "wrong". Not to mention that right and wrong are a moral issue, and therefore very personal issues. While I personally don't support anything illegal (well, usually), I will say that not all laws are right or make sense, or sometimes very difficult to live with at least, ha.
As for my saying "usually" about not supporting illegal activity, I certainly don't lay fault against folks who try to get films out there that studios are selfishly sitting on, like "Song of the South" or even the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special". As long as they aren't scalping people with their prices, I consider what they're doing a "good" thing. Like Robin Hood, stealing entertainment from the rich to share it with the poor.
Last edited by slave2moonlight on Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
DarthPrime
- Collector's Edition
- Posts: 2520
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:55 pm
Whether its actually breaking the law or not. I don't see any problem with making a backup copy of any DVD/Blu-ray/CD/etc... that you own. Now if you go out and start selling these backups that's a different thing.
In my opinion copy protection isn't stopping pirates, and its only hurting legitimate sales with all this DRM junk. I also don't think recording a movie off TV counts as piracy. If it did then DVD recorders, Tivos, and other DVRs should be illegal.
In my opinion copy protection isn't stopping pirates, and its only hurting legitimate sales with all this DRM junk. I also don't think recording a movie off TV counts as piracy. If it did then DVD recorders, Tivos, and other DVRs should be illegal.