|
I'd like to raise the point that there is so much media available today, pirated in Third World Countries, that people in First World countries purchase unknowingly.
Right now, Cambodia produces the market share of pirated paper books, looking for all the world like legitimate productions. A friend of mine (a book retailer in Thailand) showed me how to tell the difference, and I've since seen these same types of works being sold in major US retail chains! It's like trying to discover counterfeit currency. You have to know what to look for or you simply can't tell the difference.
How many DVD's are sold each day in major US, Canadian, Australian, European, etc., cities that are made illegally in Third World countries? There are large signs that I've seen in major international airports stating that illegal DVD's will be confiscated, as well as pirated designer lable goods such as Louis Vuiton, but as yet, no one is stopping pirated books and the market is flooded with them.
Are you sure that the music your kids are paying for is legit? They might well be paying but is the retailer supplying the genuine article. Or, as in the case of the book retailers who aren't even aware they are selling fakes, are the music sellers peddling pirated music? Are the retailers peddling pirated e-books? How would you know if they were or weren't? As I said before, I've seen pirated paper books in one of America's largest chain book stores. The clerks had no clue. If the "reliable" and "trustworthy" stores are selling fakes without even knowing it, how is one to know what you are purchasing over the internet as a download? After all, we do know that when profit is involved, especially big profit, DRM means very little...
Stitchawl
|