Piracy Thread

[WritePR]

There's a thread under general discussion called "Do You Pirate Ebooks and Why?". It caught my eye and I have to say as a new member, gave me a less than favorable impression of this site, since it appears many members support piracy and think writers don't deserve to be paid for their work. I'm not asking for it to be taken down or closed as I don't have that right, but I did want to express my opinion that it reflects badly on the site. Thank you.

[WT Sharpe]

You have the moderation team on your side when it comes to opposing piracy. We don't allow how-to instructions in posts or links to pirate sites, but as for the thread in question, I'm afraid it falls under the category of free speech. We don't like it, and several of us have made our opinions known in the thread, but we like censorship even less and for that reason have allowed it to remain open for as long as people can continue to discuss the issue without becoming unduly uncivil.

[Billi]

Without any judging - not only because this is not a black-and-white question - simply realising: I find it highly interesting that (in another thread in the News section) the personal rights of the megaupload founder Kim Schmitz are valued here much higher than all the personal rights of the authors.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Billi

Without any judging - not only because this is not a black-and-white question - simply realising: I find it highly interesting that (in another thread in the News section) the personal rights of the megaupload founder Kim Schmitz are valued here much higher than all the personal rights of the authors.

Not by everybody, I assure you .

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by WritePR

There's a thread under general discussion called "Do You Pirate Ebooks and Why?". It caught my eye and I have to say as a new member, gave me a less than favorable impression of this site, since it appears many members support piracy and think writers don't deserve to be paid for their work. I'm not asking for it to be taken down or closed as I don't have that right, but I did want to express my opinion that it reflects badly on the site. Thank you.

I realize that you are an author, and that this thread may have touched a nerve. Yes, you have a right to express your opinion.

So do others.

However, you may want to consider the many, many helpful threads/forums contained here, before forming a "less than favorable impression" of this site.

We are more than a book forum, we're a world wide forum of many volunteers who work hard to help members in many different ways.

Look around a little more......you may be pleasantly surprised.

And...............Welcome to MobileRead.

[WritePR]

As I stated I am not asking for the thread to be closed or deleted. However as a new member I'm sorry but it's left a very bad taste in my mouth. The blatant disrespect and utter contempt so many of the posters in that thread have for writers and other creative types is disturbing. I simply wanted to share my opinion.

[jgaiser]

One of the things I've learned after many years here on MR is to stay out of copyright/pirating threads. No good comes of it and no important minds are changed. Life is much easier when you ignore them all.

[spindlegirl]

The thread is interesting to see varying sides of the issue. Why some people think it's ok and why people don't. There are many authors who embrace file sharing sites and many who don't and I respect all of them for the obvious reasons.

As long as authors/creators don't have issues with the free ways to legally access their material (libraries, getting a printed book from a friend, BookCrossing, second hand shops) I don't get tempted to play devil's advocate. I actually have seen (not a lot mind you) some authors get indignant that "fans" are primarily library users or who have bought their work second hand.

Back in the old days whole families used to share a single copy of a (physical) book, as I was raised that if a book was in the household it was considered extremely extravagant to buy everyone their own separate copy - and I still do that with physical books I buy, and I also pass my e-reader around the household so my kids can read some of the books I've borrowed or own.

[Quexos]

To answer your question (again) in that other thread, this is the perfect example of "snitching".
posting here with the poorly hidden hopes of having a thread closed and why ? because you don't seem to like freedom of speech.
I am disappointed in you !

But seriously, nobody stops you from trying and debunking those defending the philosophy of downloading freely, discussed in that thread. It would be a more democratic approach methinks.

Originally Posted by WritePR

There's a thread under general discussion called "Do You Pirate Ebooks and Why?". It caught my eye and I have to say as a new member, gave me a less than favorable impression of this site, since it appears many members support piracy and think writers don't deserve to be paid for their work. I'm not asking for it to be taken down or closed as I don't have that right, but I did want to express my opinion that it reflects badly on the site. Thank you.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by WritePR

As I stated I am not asking for the thread to be closed or deleted. However as a new member I'm sorry but it's left a very bad taste in my mouth. The blatant disrespect and utter contempt so many of the posters in that thread have for writers and other creative types is disturbing. I simply wanted to share my opinion.

Wouldn't your opinion be shared best on that thread?

[darryl]

Originally Posted by WritePR

As I stated I am not asking for the thread to be closed or deleted. However as a new member I'm sorry but it's left a very bad taste in my mouth. The blatant disrespect and utter contempt so many of the posters in that thread have for writers and other creative types is disturbing. I simply wanted to share my opinion.

On mobileread generally I see some contempt and disrespect towards large traditional publishers, but very little towards writers and other creative types, with the exception of a very few authors who apparently equate public libraries with pirates and theft.

Piracy is a fact of life, and is not going away soon if ever. It is legitimate and even useful for it to be discussed. And on a site like this you will come across a diverse range of opinions, some of which may leave a sour taste in your mouth. If this is too upsetting for you perhaps you can utilise the functions of the software to avoid particular persons and topics, or maybe even this is not the site for you. Otherwise, welcome to Mobileread and I look forward to your future contributions.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by darryl

On mobileread generally I see some contempt and disrespect towards large traditional publishers, but very little towards writers and other creative types, with the exception of a very few authors who apparently equate public libraries with pirates and theft.

Also some of those who have geographically restricted ebooks.

[Belfaborac]

I can't say I remember seeing much denigration of writers' efforts in that thread. Denigration of RIAA/MPAA and the big publishers' inflated, unsubstantiated claims of losses, sure, not to mention their habit of automatically equating anyone who makes use of torrents with pirates and thieves. Something which is also seen a lot in that thread, as well as numerous other threads, coming from the usual suspects.

[WritePR]

Originally Posted by Quexos

To answer your question (again) in that other thread, this is the perfect example of "snitching".
posting here with the poorly hidden hopes of having a thread closed and why ? because you don't seem to like freedom of speech.
I am disappointed in you !

But seriously, nobody stops you from trying and debunking those defending the philosophy of downloading freely, discussed in that thread. It would be a more democratic approach methinks.

I beg your pardon? I REPEATEDLY said I didn't expect and wasn't asking for the thread to be closed or deleted. It's not my site and I have no right to make such a request. I posted here to share with the admins how I felt it gave a bad impression to new members.

Go bully someone else. Or better yet, stop bullying people and get a productive hobby.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by WritePR

I beg your pardon? I REPEATEDLY said I didn't expect and wasn't asking for the thread to be closed or deleted. It's not my site and I have no right to make such a request. I posted here to share with the admins how I felt it gave a bad impression to new members.

There are 3 moderators posting on that thread (they are the ones with the green user names). If you would have posted there they would have seen it.