Quote:
Originally Posted by Pardoz
Except for the part where you can't prove any economic loss to the author....
|
While I agree it is not a one-to-one loss -- i.e. I don't believe that every bit of digital content is one the infringer would have paid for instead -- the same is true for shoplifters. Not every shoplifter planned to pay for the item, nor is there a 100% guarantee that the stolen item would have been sold (i.e. it could have languished on the shelves indefinitely instead). The two situations are not identical, but they are much closer than most people care to admit.
However, it is apparent that pirating a work clearly does not result in the reader compensating the author and publisher for their work.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Pardoz
The demonization of file-sharers? That's just a smokescreen to try to distract people from the real pirates.
|
Yeah, no.
A publisher, retailer or author is not the "real pirate" because they want to be paid for their work, or even for collecting a profit for their work. While there may be some legitimate complaints about aspects like DRM or excessive copyright terms, demonizing companies for their temerity to try and make a profit is, well, rather juvenile IMO.