Thoughts on piracy.

[tron3]

I think most of us agree that movie Piracy is illegal. Even those of us who pirate. I'm sure many of us have "Tivo'ed" a movie or 10 and put it on a DVD. Perhaps even made a copy for a friend, but who is selling and buying this stuff?

I'm glad for BD+ plus because now that content is safer we can hope to see lower prices in the future. It has to happen to receive mass consumer appeal, right? On the other hand, we will always pay a premium because it is a more expensive technology and they have us over a barrel.

I couldn't even begin to think of a poll with enough options to answer the question.

I sort of look at it this way. People buy knock-offs of $300 purses and sun glasses for 5 or 10 bucks. The company says that is lost revenue. I say it isn't- because I for one would NOT pay that kind of money for sunglasses.

If they really want to discourage knock offs, then offer something in the price range of the general consumer. $50 and under generally is the magic number.

However, it is still a crime to buy this stuff and we essentially become a "non consumer". The money generated doesn't go into the local economy, except by the pirates. It hurts retail as millions upon millions is lost each year by piracy.

At lot of this has to do with government on foreign soils. They look the other way with a "screw America" attitude. Therefore we can't go get them, and certainly can't prosocute them. Why should they care? Everything is made cheaper over seas. Not like we can cheaply copy their stuff here. NOOO, we are America and must take the high road and ask nicely that the others do the same. Utter BS!

It is time to start imposing sanctions on foreign imports if they don't agree to start mutually working to end piracy, and extradite criminals.

[Rob71]

I love how they'll make a spectacle of taking down the guy at the flea market, or on the sidewalk selling a handful of bootlegs, but ignore the entire industry that produces those same discs. Of course they've been fighting the Drug War the same exact way for thirty years now, tell me how thats going again?

[CptGreedle]

"Drug war". it's a prohibition with a fancy title. (Although I don't do drugs I think there are valid legal uses for certain "illegal" drugs)
That aside, I have always been against pirating software and movies and music. It is sad to see the money that should go to an artist and all the support team go to some guy who steals their work and takes the money for their own. Fighting these things on the street level will not end it! It needs to be done at the source! In fact, that is the reason these two dogs are my heroes!

[buckshot]

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

[CptGreedle]

Originally Posted by buckshot

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

Especially the raping ARRR! (J/K)
X_0

[WickyWoo]

I sort of look at it this way. People buy knock-offs of $300 purses and sun glasses for 5 or 10 bucks. The company says that is lost revenue. I say it isn't- because I for one would NOT pay that kind of money for sunglasses.

I think you're missing the point of the fashion industry. They're hyper-expensive specifically BECAUSE they only make a few of them and the pricetag fuels the brand as being "elite" and "exclusive".

Prada isn't there to sell in Value City.

And it's still their intellectual property to control

[Xerious]

jack sparrow makes pirating cool again.

[DJeffries]

Originally Posted by buckshot

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

I have a Blue and Gold Macaw that if you get careless enough with her on your shoulder you'll end up with the eyepatch. She's no problem if you know how to handle her.

Back on topic I have seen pirated movies at flea markets where the people buying them had no idea of what they were really buying. Most were older folks and not tech savy. Most that know what is being sold and want it know how to get it without paying.

Never would consider such a thing myself. Would rather pay for quality.

[jw]

Originally Posted by DJeffries

Back on topic I have seen pirated movies at flea markets where the people buying them had no idea of what they were really buying. Most were older folks and not tech savy. Most that know what is being sold and want it know how to get it without paying.

Never would consider such a thing myself. Would rather pay for quality.

Thats the problem I see on ebay, a new release for 8.00, come on...Its an import. I have this lady and I have reported it she sends me emails with "her list" of movies from Malaysia(Piracy capitol) for 3.00 eah but I have to buy 50.
I dont buy nor would I sell that crap. I try to sell genuine material and make a profit, hard to do with that crap. kills the new release price for at least 2 weeks, I cant compete.
that is why the blu business has been good,so far everything is authentic, and the only problem I have encountered is those damn caseless discs......I hate them, I wish they would state it doesnt have a case or dont sell them.
Just my thoughts and experiences.....

[ikbradley]

Originally Posted by buckshot

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

+1. Although raping a piece of media might painful (sort of like a papercut).

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by ikbradley

+1. Although raping a piece of media might painful (sort of like a papercut).

could you imagine explaining that to the ER doctor

[WickyWoo]

Digitally speaking...

I think people should be able to choose how much they want to pay for 'art'.

Music, movies and the like are intellectual property. They are not 'real' in the sense they are made of matter. A BD disc is; however, so a small 'minimum cost' to cover the hard goods involved in bringing it to market is fine; however, 'art' should always be judged based on what someone is willing to pay for it.

I understand this is a complicated thing to consider. But, it has worked great for shareware software and recently for music.

In fact, there was a band recently that released their album on iTunes only asking people to pay them what they felt the music was worth. It's the way it should be, in my opinion.

And you can do that with a dedicated and loyal fanbase

For most people, you're lucky if they fork over a red cent. You cannot compete with free.

People keep forgetting that 90% of what you're paying for goes toward the cost of producing the content, not the cost of the medium it's on.

[Joe Cain]

Originally Posted by Proteus

Digitally speaking...

I think people should be able to choose how much they want to pay for 'art'...
it has worked great for shareware software and recently for music.

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

People keep forgetting that 90% of what you're paying for goes toward the cost of producing the content, not the cost of the medium it's on.

Two thoughts:

The cost of producing music content has dropped through the floor: it's now possible for an individual with a couple grand for hardware & software (and maybe even an instrument) and a modicum of talent & know-how to produce a commercially viable music product, or even several over time; it's very hard to say the same for moviemaking.

I'm not sure what's meant by the contention that the pay-what-you-will approach has worked for music: the proliferation of piracy and file-sharing has coincided with the recording industry's long downward sales spiral, but I don't think those phenomena are coincidental in the commonly accepted sense. (There are also other reasons the recording industry is in a hole, and it certainly couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people .) But as someone who has had occasion to gig for pay and offer original content for a price, I must confirm it is VERY difficult to compete with free: people accustomed to getting their music at no cost are less likely to buy the indie band's self-produced CD in the club parking lot, especially if they can download the mp3s off the band's website...even a loyal fanbase does no good if they're not conditioned to spending.

[buckshot]

Originally Posted by Rob71

could you imagine explaining that to the ER doctor

doctor: ''so, mr buckshot, what happened here?''

me: ''uuummmmmm, I slipped and fell?''

doctor: ''you fell huh?''

me: ''yes, I fell............... don't you judge me. i'm a sad lonely pirate.''

[glenn22]

I have no problem with Piracy *IF* the person pirating goes out and buys the disc if they like it.

I see it as more of a try before you buy if done this way. However, I doubt the majority of people are doing it that way.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by buckshot

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

Sounds like a job interview with Eric Idle in a possible Monty Python skit.

John Cleese: So, exactly what do you do as a Pirate.

Eric Idle: Oh we rape, pillage and plunder. (Looks upwards.) Mmmmm, mostly pillage.

John Cleese: Mostly Pillage? What about the raping, and the plundering?

Eric Idle: Oh, too much effort in plundering - too much effort. We scaled back on the raping because of all the ugly women. Many a time some ****** on the ship made for substitution. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Know what I mean, old man?

John Cleese: Oh, so you are gay pirates?

Eric Idle (Slight pause and blinks): Did I mention that we mostly pillage? ............

[lokus]

This is why I don't understand the DVD Forum's lack of security on their new HD-DVD format. All of the studios complain to no end about how much money they lose on pirating, yet the HD-DVD format just uses AACS which can be cracked. They will lose billions of dollars due to pirating. Now I'm not saying BD+ is not crackable, but at least they put the time and effort into trying to implement security that will prevent people from making illegal copies. I think the DVD Forum's inability to create a security mechanism is a joke and they should lose billions. It's quite hypocritical.

[Proteus]

Digitally speaking...

I think people should be able to choose how much they want to pay for 'art'.

Music, movies and the like are intellectual property. They are not 'real' in the sense they are made of matter. A BD disc is; however, so a small 'minimum cost' to cover the hard goods involved in bringing it to market is fine; however, 'art' should always be judged based on what someone is willing to pay for it.

I understand this is a complicated thing to consider. But, it has worked great for shareware software and recently for music.

In fact, there was a band recently that released their album on iTunes only asking people to pay them what they felt the music was worth. It's the way it should be, in my opinion.

So, piracy... Well, piracy happens for a few reasons 1) people pick up some music they don't see the value in purchasing at full price (not worth that much to them) 2) people get bored and just want to see how many mp3's they can amass and probably never listen to 75%+ of them or 3) people see it as a way to make money off the back of 'big business' and 'artists'.

I'm not so much opposed to 1 & 2 as these two groups really would not spend the money on the music anyway. I am; however, very opposed to group three. That is what I would consider true piracy as they are essentially stealing someones 'art' or 'work' and claiming it as their own falsely for financial gain.

Let's face it 1 & 2 probably have very little impact overall on final sales dollars of media. All it takes is a very small deterrent (usually just the lower quality often seen) and an easily accessible alternative (iTunes set the stage for this) to keep these people paying for 'art' they really see value in. Any negative association with these groups is pretty much strictly the fault of record labels, studios, etc., for not taking steps to ensure their consumers needs were being met properly (i.e. not embracing the internet early on when they first had the chance) and instead battling with their customer over it directly. Anyone remember the stories of little girls, age 8'ish, getting massive fines and threatened jail time for downloading an MP3 off Napster?

I do agree the number three group needs to be hunted down and disposed of quickly and efficiently. They are on par with those who counterfeit money in my book and can destroy economies.

[Amon37]

I should be able to rip/decrypt an HD-DVD exclusive, then burn it to a blu-ray and then play it in the my PS3.

Once the movie actually comes out on Blu-ray I will buy it to have the lossless audio and other BD exclusive stuff.

Other than that I don't like piracy but it's pretty unstoppable.

[haushausman]

Originally Posted by buckshot

yargh I like me some piracy, as long as there be eyepatches, cannons, and a leaky ship. don't forget the pillaging, plundering, looting and raping.

I heard on the radio there's actually a real problem with real pirates... of the coast of Malaysia. My dream of being a pirate still has hope...