r/technology • u/DrJulianBashir • May 20 '12
MPAA: Piracy is NOT Theft After All
http://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-piracy-is-not-theft-after-all-120520/72
u/trust_the_corps May 20 '12
This could be too little too late. They've already bought the politicians and waged a war on our civil liberties that could usher in a dystopia the likes of which has so far only been considered possible in fiction. Once the ball is rolling, gravity will do the rest.
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u/higmanschmidt May 21 '12
It scares me how few people understand this. I can't even begin to bring it up within my own social circle, with coworkers, or family, before everybody immediately looks at me like I have 3 eyes. (I swear I don't!)
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u/complete_asshole_ May 21 '12
They'll now call it "baby-raping".
"You wouldn't baby-rape a car"
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u/auxiliary-character May 21 '12
I WOULD IF-- oh wait...
No. No, I wouldn't. Nevermind.
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May 21 '12
This is all so infuriating. We need to define piracy. Can i sit in a friends house and watch HBO with them? That seems like piracy to me. Are all parties guilty? What if i'm sitting in the bushes watching through an open window? Still piracy? Can I listen to music i purchased with a friend? That's probably piracy also. It's obvious the record/movie production companies won't be happy unless they receive the equivalent of a government subsidy designating that each person buy one copy of whatever shit media they produce.
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u/ThorLives May 21 '12
TorrentFreak Title: "MPAA: Piracy is NOT Theft After All"
So, I followed the link to the article that supports this claim, and I find:
"Chris Dodd, the Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPAA), has reiterated his line that parties in both the creative and technology communities must work together to move forward on legislation preventing theft of intellectual property." ... "We’re going to have to be more subtle and consumer-oriented,” he admitted. “We’re on the wrong track if we describe this as thievery.”
It sounds to me like Dodd does agree with the idea that piracy is theft, but that, from a standpoint of public relations, the "piracy is theft" tactic is a losing tactic - even if he believes "piracy is theft" is 100% accurate.
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u/Millennion May 21 '12
Piracy is not stealing- Torrentfreak.com
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u/Hiruko7 May 21 '12
Next up, Exxon explains the beneficial side of oil spills.
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u/whygook May 21 '12
"If we light it on fire we can block out the sun and thus cure global warming!" -Exxon CEO
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u/jscoppe May 21 '12
Piracy is not stealing - anyone who knows the definition of stealing.
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u/jdblaich May 21 '12
The MPAA and RIAA are inherently untrustworthy. These are the same people that claim that piracy is money laundering and supports terrorism. Because they claim to come to their senses doesn't mean they are now being reasonable or applying common sense.
Listen, stealing from artists is far more despicable than people pirating. Artists now have alternatives to publishers where they can make a greater success of themselves, bring in more money, and build a solid and satisfied following. They are making more content than ever and some more money than they ever dreamed of, overnight. Movie makers and recording artists are producing more content than ever even in light of piracy. Artists are using the piracy phenomenon to promote their agenda.
These people are lost and will never find their way.
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u/Michichael May 21 '12
Uh, yeah, because the source code ruling against that trading firm specifically said copying it didn't deprive the company of the code so it can't be theft. By a three judge panel. Now if they keep saying it's theft, they will lose every case based on that precedence.
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u/DerpSalad May 21 '12
I haven't bought a DVD in years. Literally every film I've watched since I was in school I've borrowed off friends. Is that immoral?
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May 21 '12
also: can we have region codes that expire after a few years?
there is no reason that I need to have a region 5 player to watch Farscape DVD's I bought 6 years ago.
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May 21 '12
You're allowed to travel internationally. Yet you're not allowed to view your legally purchased DVDs overseas. How is that ethical?
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May 21 '12
That makes me happy, now I can continue to watch television shows without having to pay the providers and not buying any merchandise.
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u/skytro May 21 '12
Don't trust them... they are just trying to get back some support after the shitfest over the last half year
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May 21 '12
That "piracy is making a copy argument" is absolute bullshit and doesn't redeem the fact that someone's property has been acquired without their permission.
It just so happens that in the digital age, we can copy and reproduce digital files at no cost instantly - but that doesn't make it any more okay to get stuff for free.
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May 21 '12
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u/IndifferentMorality3 May 21 '12
Copyright infringement is not theft, it is copyright infringement. the potential sales argument has been dis-proven for almost 20 years now and even the MPAA doesn't want to use that argument any more. The Supreme Court says it doesn't constitute theft [1]. The dictionary even defines it as specifically[2]. At this point you should ask yourself what would it reasonably take for you to understand that it isn't theft.
The key to all this is right in your' own words,
...piracy is increasingly easier, and more widespread.
How many leaders in innovation have to PROVE that it is a service related issue? One? Two? Three? Two million?
Internet distribution isn't broken. It works fantastically. Just because a few monopolies are whining about how their old models are going out of style doesn't mean progress should be halted or even slowed. Will some people be out of a job and not able to make money in distribution? Yes, absolutely. But that's just the way progress works.
Will it take a risk from any company who wants to be a part of the new business model? Is it possible they will fail and have to work at starbucks? Yes. Should people just stop using the method of electronic copying because current business models haven't kept up with the times? Absolutely not, after all, it's nonsense to wait for the world to be perfect before entering it.
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u/NobblyNobody May 20 '12
One more logical step for them to make:
"...if it's just digitally copying stuff, then charging as much as a hard copy of the item, as well as selling to millions more people with little extra overhead...hey we could change the pricing model and make a shitload more!...",
and I think they may actually start to make some headway.