| pezus said:
On the flip side of that, though, who actually loses something when I pirate a digital version of a game? The RIAA, MPAA, and others continue to spin piracy as theft, but we know that’s not true: I’m not taking my game from anyone. It’s not like Little Timmy arrives home to find out that he can’t play Lego Star Wars because Sebastian has stolen the grubby disc. If I wasn’t intending to buy a DVD in the first place — if I don’t have the money to buy the DVD, for example — what is the impact of me downloading an XviD rip? There isn’t one. |
I really detest this part of any pro-piracy arguement, as they try to make out that they aren't actually commiting theft. Here is a (fictional) example why it still is theft:
Mr Clucky has just opened a fried chicken restaurant where all the chicken with his secret herbs and spices. Across the street is one of Colonel Sanders successful restaurants that is part of his fried chicken restaurant chain. On trying his new competitor's chicken, Colonel Sanders is horrified to find that it tastes better than his own recipe. Desperate to maintain his restaurant's success, Colonel Sanders hacks into Mr Clucky's computer and downloads a copy of his secret chicken recipe. He does not delete Mr Clucky's own copy, telling himself he is not stealing as he has made another copy rather than taking Mr Clucky's own. When Colonel Sanders chain launches their new and imporved recipe with a massive marketing campaign, Mr Clucky's restaurant forced to close.
I know this probably not a great example, and I'm sure a fair number of people will pull me up on it, but despite making his own copy, Colonel Sanders has stolen from Mr Clucky as he has used Mr Clucky's propety without his consent. If you don't call that theft, then its industrial espionage, which is even worse.
There are issues I have with media companies with do push me to the brink of piracy (although I have never done it). I hate that the 'new' episodes of American Dad that I just watched on the BBC are actually 2 years old and the USA is already getting Season 7 whilst I'm only able to get Series 5. Also, in the last place I worked, I was told my a colleague that the store was forced to stop playing the radio in the stock-room as the music companies demaded they pay an (extremely excessive) fee for 'public broadcasting'. This was in spite of the fact it was in the stock-room and nobody on the store front could hear it. The colleague in question said as a result he pirates all his music now, which I can sympathises with as in cases like that the music companies really dont help themselves.
