Honor code for pirating videos sofware?

[AAAhmed46]

IF you pirate videos and software, do you have a code?

I pirate PRIDE videos and popular music quite a bit, not so much now since school started but i do.

But i have NEVER pirated independent movies that dont make vast amounts of money and sell in bulk. I have NEVER pirated local music created by struggling artists(lots of these guys zoom around college)

PRIDE makes tons of money, me downloading the fights where sakaraba viciously molests the gracie family wont hurt PRIDE.

So is it wrong?

[Guest]

Yes, it's illegal. But it takes a few months for the FBI to investigate. If they look, and nothing is there, they close the case.

[Panther]

If you make, have, or offer a product, why shouldn't you get paid for the fruits of your labor?

If you build a car and someone takes it without paying you for it, that's stealing. It doesn't matter whether you've built one car, two cars, or two million cars, if someone takes one without paying for it, that's stealing.

So, instead of building cars, you write a book or music or make records/movies... It doesn't matter whether you make a single "home" movie or produce millions of copies of a large production which you pay to have distributed around the world, if someone takes one without paying for it, that's stealing.

Same goes for software. Even Microsoft has special deals to help out teachers & students who might not have the money to go out and pay full price for their software.

Now... If you want to pirate a book, movie, software, or similar item because you are protesting something, just say that's your reason. But don't necessarily expect anyone to agree or support your position. (I add this because I often hear the "I just hate Microsoft, so if I can get a free copy of their stuff, I will" excuse, which is interesting because the person is also saying that it is the best product that is available and they just don't want to pay for it... Hmmmm... there are many freeware/shareware/linux versions of software available. If you don't like MS so bad, there are other choices. Anyway, I digress...)

Regardless, the question at hand is:

Why shouldn't someone get paid for the fruits of their labor?

[AAAhmed46]

Study says: Most people who pirate music are the same people who would not buy music.

But your right.

[IJ]

Agreed, a lot of the pirated material might not have been bought. EG if I steal one song from the album, if not for kazaa i would have taken a pass and just not listened. Or borrowed from a friend = fair use. So one would think.

Yet, one can also steal whole albums, and, the companies report declining sales since online pirating began.

[AAAhmed46]

I have yet to find someone who downloads an entire album, i have never seen anyone download an entire album.

[Bruise* Lee]

I made some educational videos about 8 years ago. They were for the health profession. I donated some to a school.

About 5 years ago I was at a seminar and this guy comes up to me and tells me how much he loved my videos. In the same breath he tells me he borrowed the ones from the school and just made copies of them. Ouch.

I never came close to breaking even on the videos. I spared little expense in making them. The guy still contacts me and has proven himself a dirtbag in every way. He has slimed his way through everything in life, now has a criminal record and a divorce because of his wife catching him with one of about 40 different girlfriends or paid prostitutes he was with.

[AAAhmed46]

Thats what i mean, do people have an honor code for pirating? YOU do not make billions yearly, so pirating is actually theft in your case.

[ljr]

Thats what i mean, do people have an honor code for pirating? YOU do not make billions yearly, so pirating is actually theft in your case.

In your case? Is stealing a dollar from a rich man any less of a crime tha stealing a hundred from a poor man?

[IJ]

Yup, theft is always theft. Sometimes its justified, eg, lifting bread for your kids after Katrina hits and the clerk is gone and you have no $. But music is rarely lifesaving.

You may not have seen anyone pirate a whole CD. But it is easy enough for anyone 10 and up these days to do. I used to have a CD which was damaged and skipped all over the place. Feeling that I had paid the band, I downloaded nondamaged contents and replaced it. It would have been perfectly legal to make a copy of the orginal for myself AND a friend, (which might have reduced the bands proceeds) whereas this was technically a crime (though it was functionally the same as legally making myself a single copy, which would not reduce the band's proceeds).

I know many people are using netflicks to obtain copies of every dvd that comes in the mail and have seen whole albums for download at once on the net.

I spose these things are all on a continuum; the internet has made things less black and white. It used to be easy to be an ethical pornographer (intrinisic ethical porn issues aside): you sold only to adults; on the net, in a world where adult use is unhampered, savvy kids have easy access. When does it become wrong?

[Panther]

Yup, theft is always theft. Sometimes its justified, eg, lifting bread for your kids after Katrina hits and the clerk is gone and you have no $. But music is rarely lifesaving.

Very true. The "exception" you point out is one of those "grey areas" that can only be made by someone who understands the difference based on the pre-existing moral values that they have. Generally, young children (or those who lack good moral values) are incapable of making those "grey area" distinctions. Which gives the need/reason for first teaching the absolutes of moral values before expanding the lesson to "how did you feel when you cheated?" While your point is well-taken, it is interesting to note the number of "Katrina survivors/victims" who felt that the way to take care of their family (feed, cloth, shelter, protect) was to steal consumer electronics! Just how was a large screen plasma HDTV supposed to feed, cloth, shelter, or protect the family?