The answer is simple. We need to attach an intrusive software scanning program to each computer that also has access to all your bank accounts. If it finds a song or video or software title that has no corresponding digital license on the company's server, then the RRP of that product gets charged to one of your accounts and deposited into the bank account of the IP owner.

If you attempt to circumvent the software in any way, the CIA comes to your house to rape your mother.

But what if we looked at it this way: I performed an action that shifted around a bunch of matter on a magnetic disc surface, that in turn caused this matter to be arrayed in such a way that it could be used as a set of instructions by my computer. This set of instructions, when executed, played a song that sounded like a song created by a particular artist, or played a game that looked very much like a game created by a particular software developer.

If I painted a picture that looked just like the Mona Lisa, I wouldn't be charged with a crime or be made to pay royalties to Davinci, so why should I be charged or made to pay for arranging the bits on my hard drive in such a way that resembles another artist's/developer's work? 

Why should the PirateBay people be charged for supplying the bits that make up the instructions, if the paint shop cannot be charged for supplying the paint that makes up the painting?

hehehehe. Very messy indeed. 

 

As a disclaimer, I like supporting artists/developers for their good work.

 

Ok since we're bringing my work into this lets see if this makes any sense. I'm a waiter and have been full time for the past 9 years. At least once if not several times a day I get a bad tip for no reason. People tell me how great everything was then tip horribly. My hourly wage is $2.50 and its not even enough to cover my income taxes that are paid on my declared tips. The people I serve are the source of my income. When someone stiffs me or leaves a handfull of change as a tip is that not stealing? Running me around and then not paying for my service, sounds an awful lot like donating my time and labor to others without compensation. Now why does this happen? First, because people are douchebags(myself included to many of you). Second and more importantly is because people CAN. As long as people CAN get away with piracy they will.

Now the point isn't to excuse stealing or to claim that just because people hose me its ok to hose others, but that when people are given the opportunity to get something for free many will take it, this will never change. So pick your sides, find your moral stance. I agree that piracy is stealing, I'm not so naive to try and justify something that is clearly wrong, I just choose to do it.  All I know is that until someone comes knocking on my door, the Jimi Hendrix discography plays on and plays loud.

 

 

No. If it were, it'd be prosecuted as such.

I just hope the OP isn't actually a Canadian. LOL!

I always sorta liked Swedish girls...

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth does not break the cycle. Furthermore, "anything goes as long as punishment can be avoided" could justify all sorts of immoral behavior, including murder, molestation, whatever.

I would argue that just as your customers may not realize your standard wage, you may not realize what they are going through. That guy who didn't tip you anything, maybe he just found out he has pancreatic cancer and has 1 month to live? Maybe that lady over there just got an eviction notice and has to figure out where her and her kids are gonna call home next week. Maybe that customer over there is just a complete douchebag - they're out there too.

Break the cycle, rise above it, do what is right. Blaze a path through the wrongness and make the world a better place. Don't knowingly let wrong (aka sin) pollute the world, reject it. We all have our little demons and things that we do wrong, both knowingly and unknowingly - no one is perfect. We are granted, however, the power to choose. Free to embrace the light and warmth of the rising Sun or mourn the receding cold darkness of night. Free to see the cup half empty or half full. Free to the choose left or right, up or down, etc. This Universe is full of dualities - we are granted many opportunities while here to choose. Whether there's an accountability for those choices in the current or after-life is an entirely different discussion.

In summary, entities are entitled to the fruits of their labor. Anyway, I'll shut up about it.

While the two are not at all related, sometimes taking a stand against laws are required. I don't think Civil Rights as a movement was laughable because people in the movement broke the law. Sometimes the laws are just wrong.

This.

 

 

Unfortunately this is not the case whatsoever but that's another discussion, I suppose.

heh - at least its a fun post.  Happy new year all!

Piracy is to a civil rights movement the same way the mafia is to human decency.  Pirates always want to think they are doing something good, when the reality is they are thieves, and the average person WILL BE HAPPY when you are in jail.

Esp. when you consider that you are not taking away from Ceos who already have large amounts of money, you are taking from the average joe who works for it.

That is Oregon in general, southern oregon didn't just break off from the larger state and create it's own min. wage laws. It's also not the only state that does this. Oregon's income tax is relatively high, keyword here is relative, and the tipping is very much scaled down as a result. Feel free to move on over though and see how much "better" things will be.

 

That's why I said piracy and civil rights are NOT entirely related, especially in this case. Also, you might want to check out the origins of the Mafia before you come to any grand conclusions. They are what they are now, but they didn't start out that way. The best way for pirates to loose some of their teeth is for  "the industry" to stop treating paying customers like thieves and acting like a bunch of thugs themselves. I guess it's just more fun to throw stones though and continue working on "solutions" that don't work instead though.

If you were to frame the discussion on ethical, rather than legal standards then you should've stated so beforehand and used a term without legal implications.

So is yours, in fact. Somebody who believes in "an honest day's work for an honest day's pay" would never approve of a scheme such as Copyright, which mandates monetary compensation for work done by your grandfather up to 70 years after he bit the dust and would, in fact, be actively campaigning against such laws rather than supporting them with their own money.

I agree with this ^.

Pirating and black market has been going on centuries yet digital media has put the balls to the wall. Any other product I buy I can return if I am not happy with it. Not PC games because of "pirating"? Lame ass excuse for too bad so sad. The industry is using pirating for every excuse to get more personal info on everyone and make you have crap running constantly on your PC and the excuse again is pirating..   People have been giving away or trading novels and books since the first written word but I guess now that its on a disk I guess I just have to write 1 book and generations of my family never have to work again(oh wait, thats not my family, its some fatass in a suit that never worked a day in its life). Oh and the next chair I build I dont just want the money from the sale, I want to be paid everytime someone other than the owner sits in it and dont try and sell it because I deserve more money then as well. UTTER BULL S%#T

As someone who does quite strongly believe that someone should be paid for their hard work, why would copyright laws be something I would be actively campaigning against? I'm not saying their perfect, but they're better than nothing.

Take for example 'Night of the Living Dead'.  The Zombie movie.  Started it all.  Due to mishandling of Copyright laws, the movie is considered Public Domain; free for all.  The Writer/Director, George Romero, made little to no money - if any at all - off of what is considered to be one of the icons of Cinema.  And there are no avenues for him to reclaim that.  Where was his payday for all of his hard work and ingenius design, not to mention creativity?

Should Copyright be transferable from one party to another?  Absolutely.  But copyright should also expire, giving the creator and their family enough time to make their money off of a good idea, or some such.  The whole "you shouldn't make money off of your grand-daddies work" is kind of stupid.  Why not?  Because I didn't create it?  Where do you draw the line for the end of such things.  What about family businesses and the copyright for their advertising jingles, mascots, etc?  What about if I create something today that isn't popullar for 40 years - some movies find cult followings long after the release date and explode into popullarity some time after.  Should I not be paid because my work wasn't fully appreciated until some time later?

Copyright is ensuring ownership of an idea and allows people to profit off of their idea.  I believe that this is a good, er, idea.  My problem with Copyright is that all of the powers, laws and authority lies with the Copyright Holders.  Take a look at the leaked passages from the ACTA.  Copyright holders can soon use ISPs as databases and go on finishing expiditons.  Copyright holders, as of now, can dictate any kind of conditions they desire thanks to Licences.  Literally, anything short of giving up your immortal soul - oh, wait, they can do that too - can be included, bypassing the Laws surrounding product ownership.  This is what requires attention.  The fact that my Children and Grandchildren will make money off of any and all things I create and Copyright doesn't seem like a bad idea; if someone is going to profit from my work, I'd rather it be family than some snotty nose kid on the Internet who thinks he "deserves to" based on his geographical location of birth the and thus the society that he grw up in, where everything is handed to him on a silver platter.