Quote:
Originally Posted by HansTWN
Why do so many approach the issue from the angle "was the copyright holder really hurt?" Even if he or she was not, the really important angle should be "what on earth has the downloader done to deserve taking something he or she has no right to?" Since when did freeloading become such a noble act?
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The thing is: just because I, for instance, argue against what I consider the blatant lies of the entertainment industry and all the stuff they'd like to subjects us to, does
not mean I'm arguing
for piracy. Most people on the anti-piracy side appear either unwilling or unable to grasp this.
If piracy is eradicated tomorrow it won't bother me for a moment, but I'm convinced that both piracy and all other forms of downloading and sharing will only increase and that there is nothing whatsoever anyone can do about it. Especially not media moguls and politicians, who have never presented any evidence at all that they even understand either the technologies or the changes in mindset and the society which underlie what is happening. All they want is to preserve the status quo, while not giving a damn how it is achieved and what it might mean for customers and non-customers alike.
So the choice is between spending years and wasting billions on doing stuff which will have no effect whatsoever in the end, which will massively inconvenience only non-pirates, and sitting down to try to figure out how businesses can best adapt to the current reality and offer something which will keep them relevant and viable for years to come.
Piracy is not noble and freeloading is wrong, but whether or not to do it is a personal choice and nothing I or anyone else write on an internet forum will change a single mind in regards to it. People have always liked to get free stuff and when those who are in the business of legitimately supplying what you want give no indication of giving a toss about you and your wishes, then the choice to pirate is simple.
When they also go out of their way to make life as a law-abiding consumer as hard as possible and pour billions into having laws changed and the internet regulated, you get the current situation where downloading, sharing and piracy is becoming increasingly politicised (ten pirate parties in existence at last count). That, and their propaganda, is what I find interesting, so that's what I'm discussing. Debating whether something ought to be done about piracy is like debating whether something ought to be done about winter, seeing as its so cold and keeps returning year after year.
If anything, the media industry remind me of King Lear, ranting and raving against the storm, bemoaning his fate and his daughters who have turned against him. Very likely they'll end up in the same way as the king too.