Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Sorry, Sparrow, but when I was a teenager in the 1970s, we all used to save up our pocketmoney to buy "45" records; we didn't expect to be able to get it "for free". There really IS a different attitude towards it these days. I don't know whose "fault" it is, but the fact that the attitude exists is undeniable.
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And you probably expected them to play on any record player, whether or not it was made by the recording label's factory. And you probably expected to be able to hand it off to a friend if you grew tired of listening to it.
Ebook, music and video filesharing exist in such strong numbers because the creators have tried to convince the market that they're just like the physical objects, except that your computer, instead of your stereo/tv/book, is the medium through which you'll experience them. And so people treat them just like they would treat a record or video: I'm done, here, you can have it. Or, hey, this music will play on a device that'll let us both listen to it at once, even though we're far away. Look, fifty-mile headphones. Or, you can read this book too, and I don't even have to lose it--it saves you the time and effort of going to the library.
(Note that, in the US, libraries do not pay royalties to authors; JKRowling gets nothing for how many times her books are checked out here.)
The assumption that every file downloaded is a lost full-price sale is erroneous, and the people who download them know that. Calling them "thieves" shows an utter lack of understanding of the dynamics involved, and doesn't discourage them at all.
If you were called a "thief" for the damage you're doing to the environment--with a car, electricity, and all that--would you stop? But you're taking away the good unspoiled air and resources your great-grandchildren, and others', should inherit! You must reduce your carbon footprint! You are an environmental thief!
The argument has some merit, but on its own, doesn't convince anyone. And that's the problem with accusations of "piracy"--they show such a lack of comprehension that they're entirely ignored.