Pages: 1 2

 

Poll

Is downloading copyrighted material ok?

Yeah. Fuck EA!51%51% - 58
In some cases, maybe if the bought CD stopped working.25%25% - 29
Nah, guess not. Companies are losing money.3%3% - 4
NO! It's illegal!18%18% - 21
Total: 112
2006-06-02 08:45:00
Sh1fty2k5
MacSwedish
+113|6950|Sweden
So, i guess mostly people heard about what happened to Thepiratebay.org, the biggest bittorent site in the world. If not, please read the following:

BBC.co.uk wrote:

A website accused of directing users to pirated films, music and software has been closed by Swedish police.

More than 50 law enforcement officials raided 10 locations, confiscating the computers and detaining three people.
ThePirateBay.org had described itself to be the largest search index for BitTorrent, a system used for sharing large files across the internet.
The entertainment industry welcomed the action against a site it argued was a major source of music and film piracy.

The people behind The Pirate Bay argued they were not breaking the law.
They maintain that the site's function was to direct users towards the files that they search for and manage the
uploads and downloads. The website itself did not hold any copyright files themselves.
The legality of the website has not been tested in Swedish courts.
Stockholm police carried out the raids in 10 locations and said they had detained three people.
In a statement the police said the people had been taken in for questioning "on suspicion of breaking copyright law or abetting the breaking of copyright law".

A statement on ThePirateBay.org website questioned the reason behind the police action.
"The necessity for securing technical evidence for the existance (sic) of a web-service which is fully official, the legality of which has been under public debate for years and whose principals are public persons giving regular press interviews, could not be explained," said the statement.
"Asked for other reasoning behind the choice to take down a site, without knowing wether (sic) it is illegal or not, the officers explained that this is normal."
It said it planned to up and running again within a few days.
And yes, the site (http://thepiratebay.org/) will be up and running again soon. The owners copied all the content on their server, and new servers have been set up somewhere in mideurope.
I don't really know what to think. Sure, it's wrong, but it's not illegal.
This site has (or had) over one million visitor each day and it is estimated that this site alone has cost big companies millions of dollars.

Also, yesterday the swedish police official site was "brought down", i.e. probably hacked. The homepage can't be brought up, since it is under constant attack. Exciting!
DISCUSS!
2006-06-02 08:47:27
-Solv3r-
Heia den som vinner!
+115|6797|Oslo, Norway
Pirated software FTW!
2006-06-02 08:50:08
Rosse_modest
Member
+76|7016|Antwerp, Flanders

-Solv3r- wrote:

Pirated software FTW!
Death to copyright violators.
2006-06-02 08:52:35
Bubbalo
The Lizzard
+541|6801
Meh.  As music/software prices go up, so too does piracy, so companies raise prices to combat piracy, so piracy goes up.  It's a vicious cycle.  Who cares?
2006-06-02 08:53:58
Sh1fty2k5
MacSwedish
+113|6950|Sweden
Well, i've got a rather fast broadband, so i download from the internet. The last game i bought was oblivion, and i know that i'll  buy Armed Assault simply to support the developers.
2006-06-02 14:34:50
Mackaronen
Member
+18|6877|Uppland, Sweden
I download stuff! But if i like it i buy it, if i do not like it i delete it. I got hundreds of Cd's, 250-300 dvds and software for more than $3000 all payed for with my hard earned cash, much of that, i first downloaded and liked. So even though i am a pirate i do not feel like one.  I think this big pirate threat is blown out of  proportion. I think most of the downloaders are teens that does not have any money anyway.
2006-06-02 15:04:49
Sorcerer0513
Member
+18|6782|Outer Space
Shifty, you're from Sweden, is it true that they not only took the TPB servers, but a bunch of others? Especially ones by Piratbyran's(don't have the sign above a, sorry)? And a couple of smaller firms that had the servers at PRQ?

Last edited by Sorcerer0513 (2006-06-02 15:05:49)

2006-06-02 15:11:40
Mackaronen
Member
+18|6877|Uppland, Sweden

Sorcerer0513 wrote:

Shifty, you're from Sweden, is it true that they not only took the TPB servers, but a bunch of others? Especially ones by Piratbyran's(don't have the sign above a, sorry)? And a couple of smaller firms that had the servers at PRQ?
That is true. The police also took a server that was protected by the swedish constitution, under the law of freedom of speech. Aprox 2-300 private persons and companies had ther homepages on their servers and the police took it all!
2006-06-02 15:13:03
WormGuts
Member
+17|7034|Dayton, Ohio
WOW!  look at the moral fortitude of this group.
2006-06-02 15:13:08
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|7011|PNW

If the disc breaks, a company will generally provide a replacement free of charge (if its still in business). Never had one turn me down yet.

Piracy, I suppose, is a way that people protest money-grubbing by movie, game and music industries, though I tend to sympathize with movies the most. I can buy a legitimate DVD for $9-$20. Music generally costs $10 more...and some new release games are on the order of a complete season of a TV series in a box full of DVD's. I can go out right now and buy a particular film for $15. Its soundtrack, seperately, would cost me $30 just for the CD. I'll admit to having downloaded commercial software insofar as to test it before putting money down on the real thing. Demos sometimes don't offer much insight as to what you're really going to get, and sometimes they're not even provided. But my music, movies and games are testament to the legitimacy of my media collection.

What irks me is how these industries are jumping up and down on their virtual soap boxes, shaking their fists and throwing out threats to people who are most likely not involved in piracy. You're not even safe from intellectual property lawsuits if you don't have a computer, or are even dead. Interestingly, I love how lawyers love sending personal threats, with a little clause politely asking you not to post such publicly. I've been eyeballing the whole industry-vs-piracy issue for some time, and the MPAA was quick to complain, on their website, about how sites like TPB were posting legal threats online.

I think the reason piracy is so popular is that the industries are seen as the corrupt, bloated monsters...like banks and railroads in the old west, and the government who stood by and allowed it. People who stood against them were romanticized. Isn't exactly an accurate comparison, as nobody really needs movies, music CDs and video games, but it is similar.

Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2006-06-02 15:20:27)

2006-06-02 15:22:06
Marconius
One-eyed Wonder Mod
+368|6934|San Francisco
Software Piracy as a student is fine as long as you intend to buy it prior to getting paid for contract work when using it.  In fact, some companies silently advocate piracy, because that means more people will learn their programs and eventually buy it when they decide to go into contract work for themselves.  At least that is the case in my industry.

Since I'm heading into the entertainment/Visual Effects industry, I've cut back if not stopped pirating movies and software entirely.  Once you get a stable income, the need for pirating considerably goes down...
2006-06-02 15:28:01
andy12
Banned
+52|6897
I do it because if enough people do something you won't get caught.Millions get illegal videos and songs there not gonna fine all of them.
I have got about 100 songs from shareza[p2p] and about 20 videos and 2 films,i saved myself alot of money there which can be put towards my new plasma TV.
2006-06-02 16:25:17
lowing
Banned
+1,662|6891|USA
If companies can falsely make claims in their advertisements, then I can try it and see for myself and decide if I want to buy it legit.

I give you the following examples.

50 bucks for a game that sucks but looks great on the box

20 bucks for a CD with 1 or 2 good songs on it........the rest suck

8 bucks for a movie where thr trailer shows all good stuff, then it turns out they showed ALL the good stuff.

They have gotten filthy rich by deceiving the public into buying their shit, now they are pissed because we are better informed as to what they really are offering without having to buy it first..

I defy anyone to tell me that have not fallen victim to any, if not all of the above.

Last edited by lowing (2006-06-02 16:36:43)

2006-06-02 16:29:08
chuckle_hound
Member
+32|6907|Edinburgh, Scotland

Sh1fty2k5 wrote:

I don't really know what to think. Sure, it's wrong, but it's not illegal.
No.  Other way round.  There's nothing inherently wrong with the concept, because you're not really doing anything.  At no point is anything physical stolen, you're simply creating an exact recreation of the data that exists elsewhere.

In the eyes of the law, it's illegal.


No matter what happens, no matter how much you may download or how little.  There is one immutable concept - you are breaking the law.  Whether you choose to ignore that and keep doing it is the factor in question.  I know I'm doing wrong, I know I'm not doing something legal.  But that doesn't stop me doing it.

Don't try and pretend we're anything other than criminals.
2006-06-02 16:38:23
rh27
Not really a Brit
+51|6836|England
I don't download illegally, and wouldn't say anywhere if I did, but I am in full support. Some more than others. The thing I would want to see is more pirated music, as much as humanly possible. Right now the markup on CDs is absolutely criminal, and these big companies need to be forced to bring their prices down reasonably. While cassette tapes were still being made (are they still now?) they cost more to make, yet cost 1/10th of the price of the same content on a cd.
So when there are fair prices on products for the consumer, then I won't have any reason to wish for piracy.

Last edited by rh27 (2006-06-02 16:39:33)

2006-06-02 18:08:16
UON
Junglist Massive
+223|6893
I'm not going to talk about the jumped up MPAA or the warnings they may or may not have sent my ISP asking them to disconnect my internet...

Anyway, I'm already a legal Napster user, and as soon as something decent comes up for video I'll be the first one signing up...  anyone know an equivalent where you can watch TV shows or films for a reasonable monthly fee?  With option to buy and download to burn the actual DVD?

As for software, Microsoft gives me MSDN through my uni, and everything else I use is open source.  In fact I made a point to learn open source alternatives to every single Microsoft product I use for when my MSDN runs out at the end of summer.  And as for games, I've usually bought them, although I admit I've occasionally tried a game out to decide if it's any good.  You can rent PS2/XBOX games, and I don't see why they can't do that for PC games, except for the reason that they know people with PCs have loads more spare cash floating around.   And don't say that's because there are demos for PC, there are demos for PS2/XBOX and you can still rent the full game in the local video shop.  </rant>
2006-06-02 19:58:48
D00MSAYER
Member
+5|6922|Austria
Because i have a traffic-limitation it would suck to download big imagefiles (games what ever).
I'm OK with it if a lot of other people do, doesn't matter to me.
If i had a greater bandwidth and a flatrate (would cost too much for me) i wouldn't download that shit either.

1) Most of the bullshit they offer isn't worth a cent to me, and even not worth to download for free/illegal (waste of bandwidth)
examples: mainstream-music (yea i hate shit like britney with passion), most films and so on

2) i'd like to have the original at home mostly when it's older (=cheaper)
most times i didn't watch a movie in cinema but i buy the dvd (so i can watch whenever i want with 5.1 sound without idiots around me making noises )

3) when i buy something it has to be worth the money (prehear the album i like)

BTW.: Those companies complaining about piracy are going on my nerves. If they hand out good products with a adequate price a lot more people would buy it instead of download it illegally.

The "normal" people have to fag their whole life to get the same money as a "superstar" earns with producing  a musicalbum or playing a role in a movie WTF?! How about searching for cheaper singers/actors

and that "new" napster is a total ripoff in my opinion. About 10-20$ per month if i remember correct to only hear that music on your pc. you can't use it on your mp3player, car-radio.....
2006-06-03 02:21:08
Sorcerer0513
Member
+18|6782|Outer Space
It is saturday, and the TPB seems to be back. Only the tag now reads "The Police Bay". Is the Swedish police site back up, or is it still down?
2006-06-03 03:01:26
Jack_Danger
Member
+2|6908|America
All i'm gonna say is I admit I have dled music before. But it's not like i'm really doing anything that bad. I mean I don't dl thousands of things everyday. Imo it's not right to steal material from hardworking people but as long as the stuff is free people will get it for free. Also in away it's kind of assholish of some people like musicians. I suppose they worked hard for their money but most of 'em are already WAY rich and shouldn't be so god damned greedy because if they really made music just so they could get rich then they suck. I download their songs because I like them and if any of them ever came here for a concert I would definately go and buy a ticket no matter how much it cost. But as long as CD's are such a rip-off everyone will probably continue downloading illegally, especially when no one is doing anything serious to stop it.

Last edited by Jack_Danger (2006-06-03 03:10:12)

2006-06-03 03:32:35
Sh1fty2k5
MacSwedish
+113|6950|Sweden

Jack_Danger wrote:

All i'm gonna say is I admit I have dled music before. But it's not like i'm really doing anything that bad. I mean I don't dl thousands of things everyday. Imo it's not right to steal material from hardworking people but as long as the stuff is free people will get it for free. Also in away it's kind of assholish of some people like musicians. I suppose they worked hard for their money but most of 'em are already WAY rich and shouldn't be so god damned greedy because if they really made music just so they could get rich then they suck. I download their songs because I like them and if any of them ever came here for a concert I would definately go and buy a ticket no matter how much it cost. But as long as CD's are such a rip-off everyone will probably continue downloading illegally, especially when no one is doing anything serious to stop it.
Well, alot of smaller bands and such support downloading of their copyrighted material just to spread the word if u know what im saying. And i only listen to smaller bands sooo. I guess it's ok.
And yes www.polisen.se (official site for the swedish police) is up again.
2006-06-03 07:36:17
chuckle_hound
Member
+32|6907|Edinburgh, Scotland
It's quite funny that most of consider the markup on CDs to be entirely a case of price gouging.

1) When a new act is signed, the promotions/ recording costs are well in excess of £1m for a decent coverage.  This is before the band has even sold a single record.  If they're crap and nobody buys them - that's money down the drain.

2) If your reaction to above is "well why not reduce the price on old acts" then that automatically means that new acts will be more expensive and thus less people will buy them.  So you'll see less new music and more of the safe old stuff.

People like you aren't killing the music industry in the way you think.  Money isn't the issue.  You're scaring them into signing safe acts and essentially destroying any chance that news bands have to get on the band wagon.


In the last year I've bought about 20 albums - most at between £5-10.  That's not a lot.  So get over yourselves and get a job.  If you could download a graphics card "because they're just rehashing them same design over and over with tiny little changes" would you?
2006-06-03 08:02:19
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6947|67.222.138.85

Rosse_modest wrote:

-Solv3r- wrote:

Pirated software FTW!
Death to copyright violators.
2006-06-03 08:22:14
Cybargs
Moderated
+2,285|6956

Rosse_modest wrote:

-Solv3r- wrote:

Pirated software FTW!
Death to copyright violators.
Agree! I, cyborg_ninja-117 will hunt down every copyright violator in the world until i die. unless they give me free porn. that is all.

but seriously, pirated softawre makes companies lose billions of dollars, and which nation has the highest amount of pirated music? china. and who said invading china is a bad idea.
https://cache.www.gametracker.com/server_info/203.46.105.23:21300/b_350_20_692108_381007_FFFFFF_000000.png
2006-06-03 08:39:55
herrr_smity
Member
+156|6868|space command ur anus
they could only stop the pirate bay for ONE day. LOL
2006-06-03 23:25:19
Poseidon
Fudgepack DeQueef
+3,253|6777|Long Island, New York
I'm sorta for pirated music. I shouldn't have to pay 15 dollars to listen to 9 tracks. Which is specifically why I used to use iTunes, because atleast I wouldn't have to buy the whole CD.

 

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