#1 ·
Out of pure curiosity, what exactly is this?
If anyone here understands the legal side of things, please explain—either technically or in layman's terms—so we can all be on the same page!
Personally, I am against the idea of copying and selling someone else's intellectual property. However, having a movie on a DVD, an MP3 on my computer, or a handful of programs on my PC shouldn't really be categorized as piracy. I realize that even this technically violates intellectual property rights, but such is life.
Lately, I’ve been reading nothing but whining from video store owners regarding home movie collections. How are we supposed to put an end to this? In America, 99% of PC owners have collections of movies, Napster files, cracked games, and various software. By that logic, everyone should be behind bars. Digitalization has its pros and cons; one simply needs to find a balance. Even those calling for harsh measures against everyone are likely violating the same rules in some capacity. Furthermore, the losses sustained by video stores, cinemas, and musicians are negligible compared to the economic fallout that would result from overly rigorous enforcement. For instance, consider the drop in sales for computers, consoles, media, and general internet usage (since, at the end of the day, most people use it to download something). Many would lose out, and the government would suffer most by losing the tax revenue generated by these activities. Many people would love to own original software, but it is far too expensive for our current economic reality, not to mention the cost of music. Still, a line must be drawn somewhere. We need laws tailored to our specific circumstances rather than following dictates imposed by international interest groups. There must be order, but it must also be adapted to what people can actually afford.
I look at the prices for Windows, and while I must admit it isn't astronomical, Word and Excel—which many cannot function without—are prohibitively expensive. And that is to say nothing of the massive library of programs we have grown accustomed to using. If everyone were to pay current market prices for everything, a single computer setup would cost ten thousand dollars or more, which very few can afford. That would only lead to further stagnation, which in turn drives people back toward piracy. It is a vicious, endless cycle...
If anyone here understands the legal side of things, please explain—either technically or in layman's terms—so we can all be on the same page!
Personally, I am against the idea of copying and selling someone else's intellectual property. However, having a movie on a DVD, an MP3 on my computer, or a handful of programs on my PC shouldn't really be categorized as piracy. I realize that even this technically violates intellectual property rights, but such is life.
Lately, I’ve been reading nothing but whining from video store owners regarding home movie collections. How are we supposed to put an end to this? In America, 99% of PC owners have collections of movies, Napster files, cracked games, and various software. By that logic, everyone should be behind bars. Digitalization has its pros and cons; one simply needs to find a balance. Even those calling for harsh measures against everyone are likely violating the same rules in some capacity. Furthermore, the losses sustained by video stores, cinemas, and musicians are negligible compared to the economic fallout that would result from overly rigorous enforcement. For instance, consider the drop in sales for computers, consoles, media, and general internet usage (since, at the end of the day, most people use it to download something). Many would lose out, and the government would suffer most by losing the tax revenue generated by these activities. Many people would love to own original software, but it is far too expensive for our current economic reality, not to mention the cost of music. Still, a line must be drawn somewhere. We need laws tailored to our specific circumstances rather than following dictates imposed by international interest groups. There must be order, but it must also be adapted to what people can actually afford.
I look at the prices for Windows, and while I must admit it isn't astronomical, Word and Excel—which many cannot function without—are prohibitively expensive. And that is to say nothing of the massive library of programs we have grown accustomed to using. If everyone were to pay current market prices for everything, a single computer setup would cost ten thousand dollars or more, which very few can afford. That would only lead to further stagnation, which in turn drives people back toward piracy. It is a vicious, endless cycle...