Is illegal downloading so bad?

[Austin25]

Still, just wanting something isn't justification for taking it.


Hey, what's the legality of recording the radio?

 

[DaMummy]

well according to the legal system, youre not allowed to DVR your football,other football, basketball, other sports, and baseball games.


on a related note, i once saw this tshirt that i really liked, it said "Real Musicians Have Day-Jobs"

 

[Austin25]

well according to the legal system, youre not allowed to DVR your football,other football, basketball, other sports, and baseball games.


on a related note, i once saw this tshirt that i really liked, it said "Real Musicians Have Day-Jobs"

+1


The music I listen to is Creative Commons licensed.

 

[Link]

I had dozens of NES games as a kid, Gameboy, SNES as a teenager. I don't know if any of it is in storage somewhere but I don't feel like I'm stealing anything when I play a ROM that I've previously owned in some form. I luckily still have a good bit of my Atari 2600 collection, but don't think the console works. I still have my PS1 games and my XBox games. Many of these include MAME titles in compilations. I also collected quite a CD collection throughout my years. I spent a good bit of my time in Germany roaming record stores in the mid 90s. I prefer to have a CD of artists I respect. DVDs I just find online and watch. I download a good bit of torrents from the-zomb.com for authorized live music.

 

[Stradian]

Annoying things like dlc usually becomes a freebie for me.

 

[Prometheus]

I don't, and never will, understand the sense of entitlement that some people seem to have for things that they have not paid for.

 

[second exodous]

I just don't feel bad after I look at at top execs at these movie and recording industries or the perv that owns Viacom, these are BILLIONAIRE and TRILLIONAIRES, plain and simple. These people have enough money to feed millions of people for those peoples entire lives. In fact it makes me sick, sick, I don't know who can look at that and not get ill. I've lived in third world countries and have seen starving people, don't tell me piracy hurts these people as much as those that starve. I download a few things, big deal, these guys aren't getting hurt but you know what? They'll continue to pay the artists just as much because even if piracy doubled they'll still make enough money to feed millions of people for their life times. Do they? No, they don't. When they do maybe I'll feel sorry about taking money out of their pockets.


Honestly though, society has to change at some point, maybe piracy is a way to speed it up?

 

[Link]

^


WELL PUT


Agree

 

[Bosbeetle]

With music I feel like I compensate enough by going to concerts and buying quite alot of vinyl (and if there is no vinyl version even cds). The last game I pirated must have been at least 5 years or so ago, excluding snes roms and some scummvm titles *shame* I should go after more original scummvm titles since I like them so much

 

[- Theo -]

I don't, and never will, understand the sense of entitlement that some people seem to have for things that they have not paid for.

How old are you Prom? Probably around the same as me, and you probably did the same things:


When I was a kid, I was trading tapes with my friends at school. Copying music tracks on blank tapes not only was not seen as a crime then, but noone would have seriously consider called that illegal. That's how we socialised, and that's how I got my first girlfriend (waiting for hours at night for the songs I wanted, then recording them and storing them on mixed tapes that I gave her).


Then when I was a student, I didn't have any money to buy the CDs I wanted. So I copied them from my mates (at first on tapes, then later when I got my first computer, burnt them on blank CDs). Again a way to socialise, meet people, learn new things and spread culture. Also at that time, I was all the time chatting with friends and people I wanted to know better (girls mostly ) about the books I was reading. Sharing ideas, drinking wine, discussing philosophy or politics, lending books with a small note inside, getting another book in exchange.


So yes, still today, I do have a huge sense of entitlement for things I don't pay for. In fact, I believe not everything in life should be talked about in terms of price and value, and I believe unfortunately most of us are brainwashed to think in these terms by major distributors (record, media, gaming companies - I'm not talking of the artists themselves) just because of profit. I do believe that a fair system (and a system that would make people happier) would be based on some kind of government incentive for artists, or subsidies, and most of the culture or media items should be free for everyone, with optional donations from those who want to and can afford it. I know I would pay without hesitation for things I like if I knew it would go to the creators / artists - i.e. the Pandora - now that I have a good job (I'm not a politician, I don't pretend to have all the answers, I know it would be expensive and it would mean more taxes).


Anyway, that was just the start of trying to make you understand what some of us feel

 

[Prometheus]

I don't, and never will, understand the sense of entitlement that some people seem to have for things that they have not paid for.

How old are you Prom? Probably around the same as me, and you probably did the same things:


When I was a kid, I was trading tapes with my friends at school. Copying music tracks on blank tapes not only was not seen as a crime then, but noone would have seriously consider called that illegal. That's how we socialised, and that's how I got my first girlfriend (waiting for hours at night for the songs I wanted, then recording them and storing them on mixed tapes that I gave her).


Then when I was a student, I didn't have any money to buy the CDs I wanted. So I copied them from my mates (at first on tapes, then later when I got my first computer, burnt them on blank CDs). Again a way to socialise, meet people, learn new things and spread culture. Also at that time, I was all the time chatting with friends and people I wanted to know better (girls mostly ) about the books I was reading. Sharing ideas, drinking wine, discussing philosophy or politics, lending books with a small note inside, getting another book in exchange.

Late 20s, and I can honestly say that I never did the same things. I was taught from a *very* young age to save my own money for things I wanted, and that has never changed.


Anyway, I was just saying that I don't understand it. I also feel that it's up to the individual to do what they feel is best, so I'm not really up for any debates, since it doesn't really bother me.

 

[second exodous]

The only reason you believe so much in a monetary system is because that is all you were taught was right or worked. Look around, the monetary system is broken is and is continually getting worse and worse. Every aspect of technology is bringing it down, that is never going to be reversed, technology will just continue to make the monetary system less and less functional. There is only so much those at the top of a crumbling monetary system can do to keep it alive before it collapses below them.

 

[ZXDunny]

I don't, and never will, understand the sense of entitlement that some people seem to have for things that they have not paid for.

Late 20s, and I can honestly say that I never did the same things. I was taught from a *very* young age to save my own money for things I wanted, and that has never changed.


Anyway, I was just saying that I don't understand it. I also feel that it's up to the individual to do what they feel is best, so I'm not really up for any debates, since it doesn't really bother me.

But you're more than happy to pirate the ROMs for your megaman games? Even if you do own those games as original cartridges, you have no legal right to download the ROM images - under UK law you might get away with dumping the images yourself from your own hardware, so long as it's clear you're not circumventing any DRM mechanisms, but if you're going up against the IP holders it's unlikely you'll win that one.


D.

 

[Prometheus]

Even if you do own those games as original cartridges

There's no "even if" about it, thanks. I need more storage boxes.

 

[ZXDunny]

Even if you do own those games as original cartridges

There's no "even if" about it, thanks. I need more storage boxes.

Hehe - I wonder if you have a working Megaman2 Cab?


But anyway, the point was that you'd be pretty pissed off if you couldn't play your ROMs on the Pandora. Said ROMs are indeed pirated. The question is then, do you feel entitled to be able to play those ROMs on the Pandora? You might justify it by saying that you've spent a lot of money over the years on Capcom merchandise, but the fact is inescapable - you only paid to play those games in the format they were originally delivered.


Of course, you might say (as I do) that you have no sense of entitlement; you are just taking advantage of a situation that has presented itself to you. That is the point, I believe.


D.

 

[Prometheus]

Hehe - I wonder if you have a working Megaman2 Cab?

Your timing for this question is good. Funnily enough, you're about to find out! I was just writing a post in Off Topic because someone (<cough>DaMummy</cough>) demanded it several times. (It'll be up in a minute, and therein your question will be answered. :lol: )

Of course, you might say (as I do) that you have no sense of entitlement; you are just taking advantage of a situation that has presented itself to you. That is the point, I believe.

To me, this is "format-shifting", as I've paid for the goods. (I think I might have written about this before. Maybe on my sig-blog?)


As you might guess (and I'm guessing you're seeing where I'm coming from here), I do personally feel that this is different to not having paid for the goods, and I do feel that it is different to claiming not to support certain ways of doing business but still wanting to have the goods (in those cases, personally, I go without whatever it is and simply don't care about whatever it was, as I think it says "I don't agree with you" more effectively - there are a lot of companies and their stuff which I simply do not wish anything to do with due to my disagreement with their practices). Really, it's these that I do not think I will ever be able to understand (although again I stress that I don't begrudge whatever any individual feels is right for them).