Your views on downloading pirited copys

TheSonOfBattles

Yea, but since when did an artists opinion matter to most record companies? And also, a lot of the people releasing movies/music etc. are in it for the money, not for the artistic ideal.

Eurorunner

I like cake!

Johnny Versace

Depends. It's obviously wrong, but sometimes I just don't have the $$$...

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by User45701
Its illigal to download TV rips of TV shows isent it?

Are they going to care that much if you miss 1 episode of ur TV show half way through the new seris and you DL it before next weeks episode?

Well the advertisers would go gaga ..

hcvti

It is Wrong, but if the prices of DVD's, Computer Programs, Computer Games & CD's were all reasonable less people would be doing it,
I got 100 dvd-r's and 100 dvd cases for 123.32 delivered in ireland, you can get 100 CD-R's for about €35 euro's, so 1 cd costs 35c, 1 dvd & case costs roughly €1.25c, Why pay €35 or €40 for a new dvd, If they were being sold for €10 to €15 their would be a lot less piracy, I mean that's rediculious.

I don't condone Piracy but I also dont condone RIP-OFF by the record companies, film producers & Software manifacturers.


1 dvd & case costs roughly €1.25c to US, record companies get them for alot less!

dangerman

It is Wrong, but if the prices of DVD's, Computer Programs, Computer Games & CD's were all reasonable less people would be doing it, I got 100 dvd-r's and 100 dvd cases for 123.32 delivered in ireland, you can get 100 CD-R's for about €35 euro's, so 1 cd costs 35c, 1 dvd & case costs roughly €1.25c, Why pay €35 or €40 for a new dvd, If they were being sold for €10 to €15 their would be a lot less piracy, I mean that's rediculious.

Someone always puts forward this arguement, and its so simplistic.

Take computer games; for every Grand Theft Auto there's hundreds of titles which would fail to even break even. If you follow games news, u'll see that developers are constantly getting dropped by their publishers mid-way through projects etc. - the amount of wasted investment is enormous.

Also, they're arguement will always be that things are priced so high to offset the loss due to piracy. - Thats a circular arguement u end up with, the pirates say they steal the stuff because its too expensive, and say they'd buy it if they were more reasonable. The industries say if they sold all the extra units they would without piracy then they could afford to lower prices...and so it goes round...

However, the key issue is reward for innovation and creativity. If someone creates, society believes they should be rewarded for that.

Soon, society will have to adjust to unstoppable piracy, and its then that new business models and huge fallout from the collapse of copyright etc. will emerge.

pickarooney

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
Well the advertisers would go gaga ..

But if you miss a particular episode, you're more likely to try and find a network showing the series a few weeks behind, and then the advertiser shoud start to worry.

Is it immoral not to buy anything that's advertised during a programme you enjoy?

nadir

yea, im one of those freedom of infomation type people. Its all good

passive

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/floppy.php

Civilian_Target

My general policy is if I can do an audioluchbox (ie. listen to the streaming version on their site) and like it, I'll buy it (generally online). If they only sell CDs, unless they're a local band, I'll try to download some first, and if I like it I'll buy it (I listen to a lot of music, and buy much more than my fair share of albums).

Matter of policy though, if its a copy-protected CD I will *never* buy it. Since I only really listen to music on my PC and in the car, it's just a very expensive frisbee as far as I'm concerned.

I think the record companies will survive this, but it should have a good knock-on effect. The prices of CDs will drop, and there'll be a wider selection available in the shops. Unfortunately though, I think DRM-protected downloads will slowly become the standard for downloaded music (much as it pains me to say this, and I say now I'll never pay for them) if only because the next version of Windows will enforce it all the time (because Microsoft own a substantial stake in EMI).

And finally, I sincerely hope they don't enforce those insane DMCA-style laws in Ireland (although the EUCD has already been passed, which is a major blow)

Silent Bob

Originally posted by dangerman
Downloading illegal software is never 'ok' ... its against the law.

Illegal software, yes. Software that you have already paid a licence for, no.

The whole issue of software licences is interesting in and of itself. The only reason that a company is even able to issue a licence with software is because of the 'temporary copy' made when running the program (e.g. the copying of chunks of code/data from storage to core to registers). If this weren't considered copying then companies wouldn't be able to dictate terms of use, copyright laws only give people rights to dictate terms of copying.

Ah well, long live the open-source licenses.

Wolfie

Originally posted by User45701
I hope they do raid homes but i know little or nothing about music so it wuldent effect me,
I hope they do it with games and DVDs aswell as music.

Please post a link in a week or 2 when it is finished (lol imagine the irony of reading your 10,000 word project while DL`in illigal files)

You hope the government has the power to kick your door in, and search through your hard drive if somebody tips them off that you've downloaded the theme song to 'Diff'rent Strokes' or the like? Hmm.. you're a strange person then.. Have a read of the book 1984 and see where it all ends up.

In my opinion, I have always pirated software, I think that software (particularly games) is overpriced, and in 98.7% of cases is never worth the money. Usually if i pirate games I play them for about a day or two, then lose interest. Also, before anyway else mentions it, game prices are not so high because of 'people like me', as the games indistry is raking in massive profits (its more profitable than the movie industry), so I completely refute the allegation that if nobody pirated games then prices would come down.

With music and film, if I like something I will buy it, as its better quality for a start. The likes of Half Life 2 I will also buy, because I never regretted buying the original, it provided me with value for money and enjoyment for a couple of years, and I have a respect for that. In contrast, I remember buying Black and White, the much hyped Molyneux game, which was at least a fiver more expensive than any game before it (for no reason other than the fact that it was so hyped), and being utterly disappointed.

Look at some of the truly dire games/software out there, now imagine paying 40 quid + for them... And many say piracy is wrong?!??

Wolfie

Originally posted by Kaimera
I'm downloading cake right now...mmhhhmmm warez cake

seriously tho, like it's beee pointed out, regardless of what we might think of d/l *stuff*, it IS illegal, no if's buts or any other crap.

all a company needs to do is put the cd protection thats on X2: the threat [as if this past friday, I had heard it was uncrackable]....or at least it would be a start.

X2 ... yeah, got a copy of that.. copy protection will never work. Its not a bad game, but you will quickly get bored of it after a couple of days., and not play it any more. Usual for a game these days.

mr_angry

As somebody already pointed out - where there's a will, there's a way. Even with Windows Longhorn, before long, somebody will crack the digital rights management code, and have it on the net in a jiffy. No matter what code they write to protect copyright, somebody will always be there with an alternative. The only real solution for the copyright owners is to tackle the source of the problem. i.e. Why do people not care about ripping them off?

Hyzepher

The fact of the matter is that piracy has entered a state where it is now nearly impossible to eliminate its existance. The only hope for the developers etc is to try an reduce the amount of people who actually prefer to have a pirate copy than the real thing. This could be done by including some added value item with the cd, game etc - something tangible that cant be downloaded etc. This may or may not be viable.

Microsoft have somewhat combated the piracy of their 'Live' games as you need an original to play online - some of the PC developers have had the same success with their online titles also - they can implement checks at their server side. In fact we made see game developers employing an online authentic check on all media before it can be used - a bit like Windows XP. It may not eliminate the ability to pirate but it may make it too much of a hassle for the average punter to use.

Game developers should sell you the bulk of the game via your friendly game retail store and then insisted that you go online to d/l the last 5% - which included many checks to ensure that the game was linked to that pc / serial codes etc - you could redownload if you are getting a new computer or such but then it would be linked to that one. If the d/l element was small it wouldn't hinder non broadband users.

imo - music/game developers should abandon disk protection as we know it now - it costs a bundle to research and implement and seems to be cracked as soon as it hits the shelves. The money could be put to better use

Hyzepher

Pugsley

One simple rule for 'pirate protected software', the more you gloat about how un-crackable it is, the quicker it will be cracked (and it WILL be cracked).

I have to say the only 2 full games Ive downloaded have been games I previously owned (age of empires2, and Ghost Recon) I have no idea where Aoe2 ended up, but my Ghost Recon CD got snapped in 2 by my wee brother. Downloading full games you never brought is wrong, people do it, I dont, the only full games you should download are abandonware or previously owned games.

dangerman

people who say DRM will eventually become the norm for everything are missing an important point.

Which would u choose to purchase: an operating system which allowed you only to play protected files, or one that allowed you to play protected & unprotected?

anyone who brought out a CD with built in DRM to prevent copying from it, would soon be put out of business by a company who brought out one which could copy.

^^ The only way that this can be stopped as I said before is with government laws that force consumers to purchase only DRM/Trusted computing tech. And I for one would never allow such a law to be passed, and neither would any of you.

Open Source is the knife in the side of big business and the wound is already bleeding. All it will take is for microsoft to 'force' users into making their computers 'less their own' and easier for business to make money out of users. ... then u'll see the final take over of linux.

Important to realise (from www.worldofends.com )

The Internet:
No one owns it.
Everyone can use it.
Anyone can improve it.

User45701

Well said dangerman.

I have always belived that at some stage piricy will be much much harder and hopefully impossible.

I do not belive in downloading illigal files but i can tell you for a fact that if the last episode of friends or some big episode of SG1 or Star Trek or 24 (how can u watch that) or if there is some season finale - a BIg important episode of some TV show that allot of people like and there was a power cut in dublin and everyone missed it, the next day a large % of those that missed the episode would Dowbnload it the next day when power was back up

MrPinK

Originally posted by Hyzepher
Microsoft have somewhat combated the piracy of their 'Live' games as you need an original to play online - some of the PC developers have had the same success with their online titles also - they can implement checks at their server side. In fact we made see game developers employing an online authentic check on all media before it can be used - a bit like Windows XP. It may not eliminate the ability to pirate but it may make it too much of a hassle for the average punter to use.

I wouldn't exactly call these systems successful. I've seen a couple of threads on the games forum where people have bought legitamate copies of games and when they went to play online were unable to because someone else was using their keys. The same happened with Windows XP. It's serial generation algorithm was broken and now everytime someone goes to activate their copy of XP there's a chance they won't be allowed because the serial has already been used. Instead of just hurting the company, with this system both the company and their legitimate customers suffer.

Tazzle

Have done, will do, couldn't give a cráp. I'm out for number 1.

Deadwing

Downloading pirated music is fine, as long as its Metallica.

ANYTHING to piss Lars "If you dont want to pay $14 for our CD, i dont want you as a fan" Ulrich off a bit more

mang87

I warez MS stuff, because I hate bill gates... :ninja:


Its probably never alright to do it, although I do it. Its not deemed "Right" because its steeling. But feck it, I dont care.

TheSonOfBattles

Originally posted by Deadwing
Downloading pirated music is fine, as long as its Metallica.

ANYTHING to piss Lars "If you dont want to pay $14 for our CD, i dont want you as a fan" Ulrich off a bit more

I think it's hilarious that I've downloaded shed loads of Metallica music, and it was only after downloading them that I found out how good their music is. I now own all but their latest album ('cause its utter ****e), and listen to said albums regularly.

If he came round to my house, he'd still try and anal me, even though, just like most of his fans, I do download music, I just buy the decent stuff. God that guys a moron.

Silent Bob

Originally posted by mang87
Its probably never alright to do it, although I do it. Its not deemed "Right" because its steeling. But feck it, I dont care.

It isn't steeling [sic], it's copyright infringement.

Copyright infringement is illegal, but it ain't stealing.

Dr. Loon

I think the majority of people on this thread (those who claim not to d/l mp3s, software etc.) are talking out their arsé. Fúckin pathetic.

Bicky

Me and my friend were talking just now and he says its ok to download episodes of stargate because it he could have just taped it off the TV?
Is it illegal to tape anything from the TV or radio?
Or just illegal to distribute it?

Stark

It's illegal to tape something off the TV. Remember when taping off the radio was supposed to "destroy the music industry?" :rolleyes:

loismustdie

sure it's even ilegal to lend books, cds, videos or dublicate anything

User45701

Originally posted by Dr. Loon
I think the majority of people on this thread (those who claim not to d/l mp3s, software etc.) are talking out their arsé. Fúckin pathetic.

I Take offence to that.

I dont download any music
I dont buy any CD`s
I dont buy any Tapes
I dont buy any of those things that go in mini disc players

I do not like music so i have no reason to DL it.

Civilian_Target

I think it's hilarious that I've downloaded shed loads of Metallica music, and it was only after downloading them that I found out how good their music is. I now own all but their latest album ('cause its utter ****e), and listen to said albums regularly.

Same. Friend gave me MP3s of the Black Album last year, and I went out and bought it a few weeks later. And now I quite like my metallica. In fact, I like it enough that I shelled out €60 for a ticket to their concert in Dublin in June. And I'm one customer they'd never have had if it wasn't for MP3s.