NationStates Jolt Archive

In today's times, we are seeing a rise in piracy of almost anything that can be cut, pasted, and torrented. Major movie companies tend to advertise heavily about why it is not good to pirate, while the other consumer side claims that the movie studios are making too much money.

With recent issues popping up, such as the raid on the servers of http://www.thepiratebay.org, piracy is starting to gain a new foothold in the world.

The question now is that is it good or is it bad? That is my question for the rest of the NS community, which is a question to which I am looking for answers. My search begins here, from the people, and not pirate or movie industry influenced sites on piracy.

I support it, it's a good answer to commercialism and corporatism, as a kind of internet communism, because no one will pay for something if they can get it for free, the internet should exist always as an open forum in a democratic way, and downloading such materials that business would normally charge top dollars brings in a greater equality of access and opportunity. I am for any way to thwart the private sector!:)

I support it, it's a good answer to commercialism and corporatism, as a kind of internet communism, because no one will pay for something if they can get it for free, the internet should exist always as an open forum in a democratic way, and downloading such materials that business would normally charge top dollars brings in a greater equality of access and opportunity. I am for any way to thwart the private sector!:)
Hear hear! :D

I'll admit that I use torrents, but only for obscure or hard-to-find things that I really want to see. For instance, I recently downloaded a copy of Children of Men, a fantastic movie that for some reason had a nonexistent ad campaign and only opened in a few hundred theaters. Same thing for Idiocracy -- it's almost like Fox (the studio behind it) was actively trying to kill the movie. I've also used it to get a copy of Darren Aronofsky's Pi, another great movie that my local Blockbuster doesn't carry.

Anyway, hooray for torrents making the inaccessible free and easy to find.

It's legal in Canada, but we pay a tax on digital media. Even so, DVD-Rs are around 50 cents each if you buy a big stack. I tend to buy my movies and games, even though I need to download cracks to get around the copy protection on software because I purchased it instead of pirating it.

Internet piracy is another example of the diluted value placed on intellectual property.

Consumers are willing to pay for media, be it e-books/music/film/software, as long as the price and format is correct.

Just look at Apple iTunes, its a profitable business even with the recording studio's licensing fee.

I support it, it's a good answer to commercialism and corporatism, as a kind of internet communism, because no one will pay for something if they can get it for free, the internet should exist always as an open forum in a democratic way, and downloading such materials that business would normally charge top dollars brings in a greater equality of access and opportunity. I am for any way to thwart the private sector!:)

what he said

If I can't find it second hand, I'll get it illegally. Either way, no money goes to the record company, but only one method is illegal.

Sensible law, no? :rolleyes:

It's legal in Canada, but we pay a tax on digital media. Even so, DVD-Rs are around 50 cents each if you buy a big stack. I tend to buy my movies and games, even though I need to download cracks to get around the copy protection on software because I purchased it instead of pirating it.

There's one of the problems.

In today's times, we are seeing a rise in piracy of almost anything that can be cut, pasted, and torrented. Major movie companies tend to advertise heavily about why it is not good to pirate, while the other consumer side claims that the movie studios are making too much money.

With recent issues popping up, such as the raid on the servers of http://www.thepiratebay.org, piracy is starting to gain a new foothold in the world.

The question now is that is it good or is it bad? That is my question for the rest of the NS community, which is a question to which I am looking for answers. My search begins here, from the people, and not pirate or movie industry influenced sites on piracy.


Ill take the populist and cash saving alternative of illegal piracy. Although i'm idiotically incriminating myself here (Im not explicitly stating i've ever done it) I agree with many people. I feel the same regarding MP3 downloads, as it limits recording artists too a life of semi-luxury, while at the same time many can enjoy thier music for free. As for movies, thier is always theater royalty, and in movie product placement/advertising in many ways. Its not good or bad...Its an alternative...

There's one of the problems.

Indeed. For Galactic Civilizations II the developers decided it would be better not to treat their customers like thieves and they did not implement copy protection. Their rationale was that the cost of implementing copy protection is high and that a large portion of people who acquire pirate copies of software would not have bought the product anyway. It seems to have paid off.

Indeed. For Galactic Civilizations II the developers decided it would be better not to treat their customers like thieves and they did not implement copy protection. Their rationale was that the cost of implementing copy protection is high and that a large portion of people who acquire pirate copies of software would not have bought the product anyway. It seems to have paid off.


Why buy it when you can get it for free? Of course then they can't make a profit and pay their workers and other things...But who cares about that! *Steals something*

I was under the impression that resale of albums/books/whatever is technically illegal in most places, if admittedly unenforced.


It is illegal in most places...and for good reason.

If I can't find it second hand, I'll get it illegally. Either way, no money goes to the record company, but only one method is illegal.

Sensible law, no? :rolleyes:

I was under the impression that resale of albums/books/whatever is technically illegal in most places, if admittedly unenforced.

Why buy it when you can get it for free? Of course then they can't make a profit and pay their workers and other things...But who cares about that! *Steals something*

For ease of use ... for alternitive packaging for other features...

I can get books for free online ... dont mean I want to reads through a whole book on my screen. I pay for the convienance of actualy owning it

Same with music and good games

Sure I pirate some games because frankly when you are trying to have a 20+ person lan party it is a pain in the ass for everyone to own the same game. But I purchase games in which I want to take part in things like online play or I really enjoy the game and the documentation and features that come with it

I still pay if they make it worth my while

I prefer to buy my things from the shop. If I find a band that I like, I support them by buying their CD.

But some things are nearly impossible to buy. For example, I like working with 3d modelling, but as a student I’d never be able to afford a full version of 3D Studio Max. So I admit that my copy of that program is somewhat less than legal.
But did the programmers lose any money from this? No, they didn’t. Because if I couldn’t download it, I’d simply have to go without. Either way, I wouldn’t buy their program.

If more businesses would introduce cheap student / private licenses, then it would be another matter. $100 I can afford, $3500 I can not.


I have that program and 3D game studio.. 3DS max is hard.

I prefer to buy my things from the shop. If I find a band that I like, I support them by buying their CD.

But some things are nearly impossible to buy. For example, I like working with 3d modelling, but as a student I’d never be able to afford a full version of 3D Studio Max. So I admit that my copy of that program is somewhat less than legal.
But did the programmers lose any money from this? No, they didn’t. Because if I couldn’t download it, I’d simply have to go without. Either way, I wouldn’t buy their program.

If more businesses would introduce cheap student / private licenses, then it would be another matter. $100 I can afford, $3500 I can not.

If more businesses would introduce cheap student / private licenses, then it would be another matter. $100 I can afford, $3500 I can not.

I think Autodesk does have student versions of 3ds Max. All you need is proof of you being a student if I'm not mistaken. All the features of Max, but no commercial license is about it I think.

I think Autodesk does have student versions of 3ds Max. All you need is proof of you being a student if I'm not mistaken. All the features of Max, but no commercial license is about it I think.

They have cheaper versions, those still cost 300 plus bucks! And they update every freaking year!

I have that program and 3D game studio.. 3DS max is hard.

3ds max is much easier to use than something like say, Maya, but let's not get into that. I can recommend a tutorial site that gives free Max tutorials that will have you making ace stuff in no time. Here's a sample.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4879/enforcer04zv9.jpg

3ds max is much easier to use than something like say, Maya, but let's not get into that. I can recommend a tutorial site that gives free Max tutorials that will have you making ace stuff in no time. Here's a sample.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4879/enforcer04zv9.jpg

Maya is a bitch, but for gaming you kinda need to learn it. 3D gamestudio is rather simple, anybody could make a simple game in 5 mintues. I was going for a degree in game design, but was forced to drop out!

Maya is a bitch, but for gaming you kinda need to learn it. 3D gamestudio is rather simple, anybody could make a simple game in 5 mintues. I was going for a degree in game design, but was forced to drop out!

Good thing I'm only learning game dev programming. That looks hard.

On topic, I don't see anything wrong with piracy if the person wasn't going to buy it in the first place.

3ds max is much easier to use than something like say, Maya, but let's not get into that. I can recommend a tutorial site that gives free Max tutorials that will have you making ace stuff in no time. Here's a sample.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4879/enforcer04zv9.jpg

WHORE ;)

Also, Unholy, 3ds max is plenty prevalent in the games industry. Maya, actually seems to be used more in CGI, and other arts, in my experience.

WHORE ;)

Also, Unholy, 3ds max is plenty prevalent in the games industry. Maya, actually seems to be used more in CGI, and other arts, in my experience.


I was going to have to learn all 3, Maya, 3DS Max and 3D Game Studio..among other programs. My first teacher hated 3DS Max and liked 3D Game studio better..Who am I to disagree with a man licensed by NASA to fix computers? And I saw his card proving it.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4879/enforcer04zv9.jpg

Weight and loadout?

It looks like it's packing an srm6, 2 med lasers and either a large laser or a ballistic weapon on the right. What the hell are those things on top? Smoke-stacks???

I was under the impression that resale of albums/books/whatever is technically illegal in most places, if admittedly unenforced.Definately not for books. At least in the UK.

All they say is

No part of this book may be reproduced ... without the prior permission of the publishers.

AND

This book is sold subject to the condition that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated with the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Which means -
- You can't resell the book if it is not in its original binding and cover, nor can you resell it if you do not impose the same conditions on the purchaser.

edit: Musicians should make their money through gigs and merchandise, and let the music be copied freely. The record company is an outdated form of distribution that needs to wither away.

Film makers should make their money through corporate sponsership, product placement, cinema screenings, reduced actors' wages and TV showings. If they can't manage this then they're probably a small scale film maker who isn't making a blockbuster and isn't in danger of having his film heavily pirated. And if he was the extra exposure would probably do his career good.

Weight and loadout?

It looks like it's packing an srm6, 2 med lasers and either a large laser or a ballistic weapon on the right. What the hell are those things on top? Smoke-stacks???

I can't say WHAT the weapons are... but from an RTS POV, I'd say that it's a small cannon or a chaingun on the side, cannons on the underside (looks like chainguns on the left, MGs on the right) and that thing on the right looks like an AA.

I'm entertained by the fact that the group controlling CSS (Content Scrambling System) have only just stoped try to say that DeCSS is a trade secret. Oh, yes by the way, that encryption algorithum SUCKS. 40 bit key and not all combinations are used. DES is more secure!

Internet piracy is another example of the diluted value placed on intellectual property.

That is because there is not such a term... If I give you an apple and you give me an apple, we both have one apple, but if I give you an idea and you give me an idea we have 2 ideas. the entire throught that you can own an idea is really, really weird to me.

On the other hand: time, money and effort was used to make a film or a movie. I do not want those involved cheated of their wage (however, I admit that the wages are too unevenly spread). This is why I onlyy torrent stuff, which I consider morally okay to DL: CreativeCommons music, tuxeggs (ISOs of Linux-CDs) and music, which I really can not find anywhere.

WHORE ;)

If I was a whore, I'd be putting a price tag onto it ne? Besides, it helps to advertise the portfolio now and then. :p

Who am I to disagree with a man licensed by NASA to fix computers? And I saw his card proving it.

NASA computers? Aren't those relics from the 70s? And doesn't that mean it's a hardware issue he has to fix rather than software?

Weight and loadout?

It looks like it's packing an srm6, 2 med lasers and either a large laser or a ballistic weapon on the right. What the hell are those things on top? Smoke-stacks???

Modified Imperial Sentinels from WH40k. Enforcer variant on the left, scout unit on the right.

Enforcer carries one laser cannon on right cheek mount and a pair of 30mm hydra autocannons on chin mount. Left mount carries a fire control pod for long range targeting control.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8947/enforcer02ue3.jpgp

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4016/enforcer03kd5.jpg

Scout unit carries a multilas (pulse laser) on cheek mount, a pair of light machineguns on the chin mount in a fixed turret and a box launcher carrying 6 short range AT missiles.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6057/sentinel04hq2.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9463/sentinel06ji4.jpg

And lastly, the riot control variant. Mounts autocannon in right cheek mount and a pair of linked grenade machineguns on the left. Munitions loadout can be substituted for armor assault.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3171/riotbuster01de4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/Dumpsterdam/RiotBuster02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/Dumpsterdam/RiotBuster03.jpg

Short video can be found here.

http://www.3dshowreel.com/video/view.php?video=59219866862987f6bb6e248238a6999a

- You can't resell the book if it is not in its original binding and cover, nor can you resell it if you do not impose the same conditions on the purchaser.

My bad, then.

I have a lot of uncertainty with music though - in most cases, you're not allowed to rent an album away (but this varies - some records actually don't specify that you're not allowed to hire, lease or rent them so one would assume you're able to), but is lending them away against the law? Is playing them for friends visiting your place against the law? Anyone know?

I was under the impression that resale of albums/books/whatever is technically illegal in most places, if admittedly unenforced.

Piracy is also relatively uninforced... there are assaults, murders, rapes and theft of physical things to think about.

My bad, then.

I have a lot of uncertainty with music though - in most cases, you're not allowed to rent an album away (but this varies - some records actually don't specify that you're not allowed to hire, lease or rent them so one would assume you're able to), but is lending them away against the law? Is playing them for friends visiting your place against the law? Anyone know?

Maybe, I don't know if anyone knows.

Every time you download copyrighted music, whether or not you already have it on a CD, A REAL CD DISAPPEARS FROM THE SHELF OF A SHOP. The trouble is, music industry executives need every penny they can get just to live and bribe their favourite politician. Therefore, if you steal a song (perhaps by humming something you heard on the radio in your head), a real CD disappears from the shop, and so the music industry executive loses money on it, and so he can't eat that day, and so he dies. Quod erat demonstrandum, if you download Copyrighted music, you are an evil, sinful, murderer, and deserve to die immediately.

Also (http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Bainwol)

For anything that might be considered "mainstream", I tend to legally buy it, however, less readily available music is only to be found via download.

The legalities of the issue do not really concern, or worry me, however, I fail to see why people are unable to legally but that which is easily found.

Thinking about it, in many third world countries, such as India, the populus could not afford the latest Harry Potter book, since it was highly overpriced. The only solution to this was piracy, which produced the same book minus royalties and liscence fees 5 times cheaper.

Is it ok to allow piracy in such a situation?

My bad, then.

I have a lot of uncertainty with music though - in most cases, you're not allowed to rent an album away (but this varies - some records actually don't specify that you're not allowed to hire, lease or rent them so one would assume you're able to), but is lending them away against the law? Is playing them for friends visiting your place against the law? Anyone know?
Seeing as libraries in this country charge you to borrow cds, I'd say it's either not illegal, or libraries have some sweet deal with record companies.

On a personal level, lending them to friends is probably fine, so long as they don't copy it. Playing it for someone when they visit your place is also probably ok, as I don't think that constitutes a public performance. If you took your stereo to your local high street and played it, that probably would be technically illegal (though I doubt anybody would bother enforcing it).

Just look at Apple iTunes, its a profitable business even with the recording studio's licensing fee.

For reasons a good deal more devious than $10 CDs.

I haven't pirated anything. I don't even own a boat.

Internet Piracy is bad.

Funny, I always thought of boarding someone's ship, disembowling them, shooting them, stealing their stuff, and then sinking the ship as a bigger problem.

LET'S DO THE TIME WARP!

Internet Piracy is bad.

I have never pirated anything...however I am at this moment tempted. I need (as in really do need it) the full version of Microsoft Office which as best as i can find costs £320....for me that is 2.5 days pay for software....2.5days. I try to say that fast. I think my job is well paid, imagine some one on lower pay, some people don't even earn that a week. For software.

I accept that companies invest huge time and effort to produce these products, but I am starting to see Piracy as a counter to overpriced products. I think I gained this opinion as the downloading of MP3 came to prominance over the past years. In england a CD would cost like £14-18..no wonder people downloaded music.

I believe there is a certain flexibility with it in terms of all pirating when the cost of goods become too high people find other ways around the soft ware to make it more affordable.

When Windows Vista comes out in Australia, it will be the first Micro$hit product I've ever bought legit. Purely because I can't download security patches for my pirated XP anymore.

My way of thinking is that I will pay what I feel a product is worth. In my case, I don't think Windows is worth $400+, so I will not pay that. If M$ didn't want me to pirate it, they shouldn't force PCs into using it.

(And before the Linux fanboys get hold of me - Linux will not be considered a viable alternative, because it doesn't run the Windows-based software I have. Nor does it run my Canon printer or my ADSL modem)

As for movies, music, etc.... if I like one song, why should I have to fork out $30 for an album? If I like 10 songs, I will gladly pay that.

NASA computers? Aren't those relics from the 70s? And doesn't that mean it's a hardware issue he has to fix rather than software?


Not NASA computers, he was licensed by NASA to fix computers. He has been working with and teaching computers and 3D modeling/Gaming for over 20 years.

I have never pirated anything...however I am at this moment tempted. I need (as in really do need it) the full version of Microsoft Office which as best as i can find costs £320....for me that is 2.5 days pay for software....2.5days. I try to say that fast. I think my job is well paid, imagine some one on lower pay, some people don't even earn that a week. For software.

I accept that companies invest huge time and effort to produce these products, but I am starting to see Piracy as a counter to overpriced products. I think I gained this opinion as the downloading of MP3 came to prominance over the past years. In england a CD would cost like £14-18..no wonder people downloaded music.

I believe there is a certain flexibility with it in terms of all pirating when the cost of goods become too high people find other ways around the soft ware to make it more affordable.
OpenOffice.org is free and is compatible with every feature of MS Office.

Not NASA computers, he was licensed by NASA to fix computers. He has been working with and teaching computers and 3D modeling/Gaming for over 20 years.

I see. And he prefers Maya? Wierd. Max is just as often used for it. Besides, he might not know that Discreet is going to combine both platforms with their next release. It's going to be a Max/Maya hybrid.

I see. And he prefers Maya? Wierd. Max is just as often used for it. Besides, he might not know that Discreet is going to combine both platforms with their next release. It's going to be a Max/Maya hybrid.


He prefers 3D game studio and lightwave.

Well, I used lightwave once on a friend's com. Couldn't make much sense of it.

For instance, I recently downloaded a copy of Children of MenChildren is still in theaters, has received a wider release (currently over 1200 theaters), and since it'll probably get at least one Oscar nomination, it can be expected to have even wider release. It's not hard to find, you're just impatient or unwilling to look.

Same thing for IdiocracyI got Idiocracy from NetFlicks about three days after it hit home release. This means you could probably have gotten it from Blockbuster, Hollywood, or any other home rental chain. Again, you're trying to blame your impatience on the distributor.

If you're going to justify piracy by claiming obscurity, try to pick movies that are actually obscure.

OpenOffice.org is free and is compatible with every feature of MS Office.
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I did and it isn't....