| docholliday said: Once again, the debate wasnt about right or wrong. It had to do with the financial aspects of pirating and the affects it has on the market as a whole. I dont think anyone has actually came out and said its "ok" to pirate or that its a good thing. I know I said myself that I dont condone it. But im not here to pass judgement on something so miniscul when it comes down to the bigger picture and whats really important in life. |
Historically, intellectual property rights have always been considered something of a necessary evil (in order to encourage content creation) among intellectuals and law givers. "Piracy" has for the most part been considered a good thing, because it makes knowledge and art available to more people, which in turn increases happiness and productivity in a society. In other words piracy have been considered a good thing for the same reasons public libraries are considered a good thing.
This is why public non-profit distribution of pirated software was legal in the US until the introduction of the DMCA in 1998. And this is in part why the DMCA have remained controversial.
Anyway, all copyrights have an expiration date. If you make a game you don't own it. You just have exclusive distribution rights for a limited time (50 years in EU, 75 years in NA). After that the game belongs to everyone.
