Philosophical Quandry: Piracy

[Erax]

You think you want to see the new Van Dam movie, but you aren't sure cause the Last one was a real dog. So you sneak in the back door and watch the movie. It's not like you are taking a seat that someone else needs. The movie isn't likely to sell out anyway. So technically I haven't lost any money if you weren't going to pay to see it in the first place.

It's a close enough analogy, and it reminds me of something that happened to my dad once (a story for another occasion, perhaps). I obviously haven't deprived you of anything (real or potential). So the only issue is, will I feel guilty about it afterwards or not ? Probably. But I wouldn't say I'd stolen something from you.

I just want to make one thing clear : when I said copying was different from stealing, I didn't mean one was OK and the other wasn't. They're just different enough to deserve different names. Like greed and avarice (from the copyright thread) : both are flaws, both are about money, but they're different.

[tesco samoa]

PVK theoretical sales

That is what I feel as well....

Take Bell Canada and this concept of the theroretical sale

Now 100000 people subscrible to Dish network in the states.

They do not wish to Subscribe to Bell Sat. Tv.

Why because they wish to watch American TV.

According to Bell Canada these people are breaking the law and costing Bell Canada billions of dollars. Why theroretical sale.

Music and games are the same

Its these theroretical sales that their after. Like all of asudden people will buy the stuff if they cannot copy it. I do not think so. The only difference is that they would not have a crack / copy. That is it.
Example
I have a copy of the song 'boys are back in town'.

But I was never ever going to buy a thin lizzy cd.

Did they lose money from me. No. I was never ever going to spend money on that item.

Did they lose theroretical money on me. Yes. Depending on the year they peg me at it could be up to 9 dollars.

P.S. if i was to buy it i would by it used...

If i could not get this song then i would tape it off the radio or just listen to it when it comes on the radio. ( As I have a ok system the sound quality is the same as a 128k mp3 file as far as my ears can tell)
Here as well they lost a theroretical sale.

thanks pvk...

Personally i perfer open source software anyways....

[spoon]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Making an unauthorized copy of software is stealing.
...
There might be a different legal definition for what that is besides stealing, I am not a lawyer. Geoschmo

I believe it's called Copyright Infringement...

[Hunkpapa]

Originally posted by PvK:

Legally, maybe not. In the UK, they have receiver detection trucks like you see the Nazis using in war movies about the underground resistance. The UK authorities use this to "catch" people watching TV in their homes without having paid the "TV tax." I think that's pretty outrageous, personally. If your business involves beaming signals into my property, I say I have every right to decode them however I want to, regardless of how much theoretical money you might have made if I would submit to your contracts and subscription rates.

PvK[/QB]

That is a bunch of crap, I feel for you.

[Fyron]

PvK is from Germany though.

[tesco samoa]

pvk they should have people on everystreet cornor watching out for people who jay walk and ticket them.

It is as equally morally wrong. And all laws should be equally enforced

[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by PvK:

Here's a variation. Suppose the "thief" has a device which picks up radio signals that drift out of the theatre from the projection, and let's him see the movie on a screen in his own home. Does he have the right to view the film this way? I say yes - he should be able to decode any signals passing through his own house.

Legally, maybe not. In the UK, they have receiver detection trucks like you see the Nazis using in war movies about the underground resistance. The UK authorities use this to "catch" people watching TV in their homes without having paid the "TV tax." I think that's pretty outrageous, personally. If your business involves beaming signals into my property, I say I have every right to decode them however I want to, regardless of how much theoretical money you might have made if I would submit to your contracts and subscription rates.

PvK

This is the exact situation with encrypted satellite TV services. The signal is there all the time, passing through your property. Why should you not have the right to decrypt it and watch? There are millions who think they have the right and they go right ahead and download the programs and/or build the boxes that let them access the programming without a twinge of guilt. The service providers are fighting the same sort of running battle as the [RI/MP]AA with constant new legal angles and new technologies trying to stem the leakage of their 'intellectual property'. They're having about the same degree of sucess, too.

For that matter, I've got a cable tv cable running along the wall outside my apartment. I could setup a sensitive antenna and watch cable for 'free' at the price of a somewhat fuzzier image than a direct link. (I've tested with a few TVs just out of curiousity. It does work. Coax isn't that well insulated, apparently... )

Aside from the fact that cable tv is just as sh*tty as broadcast tv ever was, but with more channels, I can't see any downside to it. I gave up watching tv years ago though, so I don't have to worry about whether it's 'ethical' to do so.

[ July 16, 2003, 01:17: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]