Opinions about piracy

[Jareware]

Just wondering, how do you guys think about piracy? I mean, software and game copying and stuff? Since a lot of my friends don't give a crap about copyrights and the like, just copy everything from someone,

Do
Print ", who has copied it from someone"
Loop

And nobody really cares that they are pirating stuff and that it's a crime and so forth. As I program as a hobby, I don't think that's very pollite towards those who have put time and effort to something and expect something in return... Though I don't give a crap about all the fuzz around napster, and I think that people should have the right to copy ( or pirate? ) digital music... And actually I don't see how these cases are so much different but still it doesn't bother me at all.

But enough.

What are your opinions about piracy?


-JR-

[SteveCRM]

I have mixed feelings on the issue. I have some pirated software because some software is drastically overpriced in my opinion. Such as photoshop. I have a copy of frontpage because I don't think it is near anything near $70.

[Jareware]

Yeah, I know, and to a company like microsoft it's not such a bad blow if even 1% of it's software would be pirated...


-JR-

[HarryW]

Hmm... i seem to remember I've voiced my opinion and been flamed for it a few times in the past. Here's my thoughts:

It's okay to copy stuff you're not ever going to buy anyway. I mean stuff that even if you couldn't get it any other way, you wouldn't pay for it. The exception to this is if you're making money out of using it. I don't think you should make money off the back of other people's work. The exception to that is if it's made by Mocrosoft Hehe, okay well I think if you're making alot of money then you should pay for it, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for Microsoft.

it all depends on whether or not you can afford to do it i suppose.

If a homeless person stole a loaf of bread, is it as bad as a fat, rich businessman embezzelling millions from his company? after all embezzellment is an impersonal crime, whereas theft is more invasive?

Its a very subjective issue.

My view - if companies can charge so much for their products, they must expect a certain amount of piracy (I know it threatens developers livelihoods, but thats and issue of corporate greed as much as theft). If a person is trying to make money using software, they should buy the software as soon as they can afford to. Thus - they would be making money using a legitimate copy of the software.

[Bjwbell]

My view is would i buy the software if i couldn't pirate it.
If i would buy it if i couldn't pirate it then i don't pirate it.
Else i just pirate it.

[Jareware]

Yep, as HarryW first mentioned, I think also that if you couldn't possibly afford it, or wouldn't BUY it anyway, eh, well, at least in the first case, I think it's more or less okay to pirate. Of course my sympathy for the creator goes up as tyrannism and company size goes down (i.e. I'm not that bothered about microsoft's software pirated, but if it is made by a one-man-company, and doesn't cost like way too much, I think it would be fair to pay for him).

Actually a very good example of this is the Napster buzz. While online music "pirating" has gone through the roof, CD sales have kept increasing, and the whole Napster has has but a positive effect on it. Because if you are a fan, you buy the CD just to have it. If you're not, you wouldn't buy their CD anyway, but now with napster you can still listen to their music. Doesn't seem to make much sense, but that's the way it is.

Funny.


-JR-

[Mark Sreeves]

I'm probably just echoing what others have said here

but in my opinion there is different degrees of piracy.

Taking a copy of an app for your own personal use or letting one of your mates have a copy is totally different to copying software to sell - I think that is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!

[simonm]

I don't think the courts would share your distinction between piracy for personal use and piracy with intent to supply!

[Mark Sreeves]

If you use (for example) M$ Visual Studio at work, you are licenced to instal a copy of it at home as well - you can't use both copies at once.

If the rozzers came kicking on your door you wouldn't have any evidence (eg original discs) to prove that you had a legitimate instalation.

Wouldn't they check the serial number? I don't really think it matters where you got the software, but if you have a legit. serial number, they can't do **** to you.

[HarryW]

I think the courts would make a distinction, one crime is clearly worse than the other. That's why we have judges and not just a computer dishing out sentences, to allow for subjective factors.

The serial number is pretty meaningless, you can get serial numbers easily.

I know that, but the serial number is what makes it yours...

[HarryW]

I think the license says it's yours more than a serial number.

[CaptainPinko]

but the product of the sweat and toil of the people belongs to the people. as long as you don't try to make money off if it is ok.

Being a commie tho i guesss my opinions are rather self evident