Piracy

[Avistew]

I haven't gone to the theatre in years because of the price. It's often cheaper to buy the DVD, even new, and you can watch it more than once and/or resell it afterwards.

Not an excuse to download it illegally in my opinion, though.

[guitarsareboring]

The only time I 'pirate' something is in the following situation(s):

An album is released by a band I like but I wasn't keen on the first single from it.

A TV programme is being shown in another country with no hint at when (or even if) it may be available to legally watch in the UK.

Games that have no demo available - I can't afford to risk such high prices on something I can't sample beforehand. Steam really should do a one off time limited 'rental' for $5 that you can put towards the cost of the game.

In all of those situations I buy the thing I've downloaded if I like it. If I don't like, obviously I never listen to/watch/play it again.

Oh, and I'm totally 'for' emulation of old Mega Drive / SNES / etc games. I like to play them portably and aside from a few official compilations (which I legally own), there are no other ways to play them on PSP or DS.

Originally Posted by Fealiks

As for music, I don't have as much of a problem with downloading it. An album takes much less work, money and pain to produce than movies or games do, so any loss isn't too bad. It's also better, in my opinion, if an artist makes money touring and through promotion rather than through record sales.

Yes, but if records don't sell well the labels don't give the bands an opportunity to make another, no matter how many people buy tshirts at gigs.

[Avistew]

I wanted to buy songs by artists I like. Digitally, because I'm avoiding CDs, they're hard to carry around and really I only use them for a minute, the time it takes to extract them so it seems like a waste of a CD, shipping, etc.

But I couldn't because my IP isn't in France. And the songs aren't available in other stores.
My current plan is to buy them while I'm on a trip to France, but seriously, for things like that piracy makes so much sense to me. They're not even letting you buy the stuff legally, what are you supposed to do?

EDIT: oh, and I can't use a proxy because I have to download them through a program, not on the website itself.

[uniqortkga]

I am eagerly waiting for the day people would finally be able to illegally pirate ice creams, computer hardware and secret slaves.

[guitarsareboring]

Originally Posted by uniqortkga

I am eagerly waiting for the day people would finally be able to illegally pirate ice creams, computer hardware and secret slaves.

You won't have to wait long, that's being rolled out in a MS Update next Tuesday.

[BoneFreak]

I did, however, take about a 6-month break from pirating. And now, I have only 3 items in my torrent list, and I don't even use them anymore.

As for music, I just download the a video from Youtube that has the music and convert it to an MP3. Is that really illegal? No. Someone posted the video on YouTube, no copyright infringements happen, and I am just being clever.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by BoneFreak

As for music, I just download the a video from Youtube that has the music and convert it to an MP3. Is that really illegal? No. Someone posted the video on YouTube, no copyright infringements happen, and I am just being clever.

You won't get the same sound quality, however. It will, most of the time, sound fuzzy unless you've downloaded a high quality video.

Also, I don't know if they work as well as your method (as far as sound quality goes), but there are several websites that will convert a Youtube video directly into a downloadable MP3. I won't link any of these sites directly, but they're pretty easy to find with a simple Google search. It will save you a lot of time and effort if you decide to use it.

Originally Posted by uniqortkga

I am eagerly waiting for the day people would finally be able to illegally pirate ice creams, computer hardware and secret slaves.

Haha! Agreed. By the way, that reminds me of this. I thought it was pretty funny, and it's on topic.

[RingmasterJ5]

Originally Posted by BoneFreak

I did, however, take about a 6-month break from pirating. And now, I have only 3 items in my torrent list, and I don't even use them anymore.

As for music, I just download the a video from Youtube that has the music and convert it to an MP3. Is that really illegal? No. Someone posted the video on YouTube, no copyright infringements happen, and I am just being clever.

Try YouTube Downloader by BienneSoft. It lets you convert the video to a very high-quality MP3 after downloading. I have used it for a year now and no problems. I only use it for songs I can't get anywhere else, though(like the extended Power Rangers theme or Eric Cartman's Poker Face).

[BoneFreak]

Originally Posted by RingmasterJ5

Try YouTube Downloader by BienneSoft. It lets you convert the video to a very high-quality MP3 after downloading. I have used it for a year now and no problems.

That's the one I actually USE! I just didn't see Hayden's post until now, but the music I downloaded off of it has been top-notch so far.

[Hayden]

Hmm, maybe I'll even use it after the positive words I've heard about it here.

[Avistew]

...
I'm pretty sure downloading an illegal youtube video is illegal. I'm not even sure if watching it is legal.

[BoneFreak]

Originally Posted by Avistew

...
I'm pretty sure downloading an illegal youtube video is illegal. I'm not even sure if watching it is legal.

Many people put music up on Youtube. Even artists put up their own songs on Youtube (VEVO, much?). I'm pretty sure if it was illegal there would be a very small abundance of them.

[Irishmile]

It is illegal youtube videos get removed all the time for copyright infringement.... Heck all the videos that people around here put up of TTG games is an infringement if TTG wanted to they could get them removed... and send you a +10 letter of discouragement...

[Avistew]

There just are too many of them, they can't prosecute them all or remove them all.
And yes, some videos are legal and put by the artist, author, etc. But a lot of them are put in by whoever and are technically copyright infringement, whether they're considered worthy of being removed or a bigger pain in the ass to take care of than to let be.

Just because someone turns a blind eye to some shoplifting because the shoplifter's parents are good customers (for a quick example) doesn't make it legal.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by Avistew

I wanted to buy songs by artists I like. Digitally, because I'm avoiding CDs, they're hard to carry around and really I only use them for a minute, the time it takes to extract them so it seems like a waste of a CD, shipping, etc.

Heh, you and I have very different ways of thinking. I personally love CD's; love the particular format. But I absolutely hate the whole idea of digital music, I consider iTunes evil .

With CD's, there's so much more enjoyment and satisfaction to be had as opposed to just buying the music files. For me, having the physical product just feels so much better. I constantly hear people on this forum talk about 'putting the latest game in a series next to the other boxes on their shelf', because they enjoy having the physical product; having something that they can look at and feel. I feel the same way about CD's, I want to not only be able to listen to the music, but I also want to look at the cover artwork for minutes on end, I want to read the lyrics on the inside of the booklet, I want to be able scour through the personnel, photos and additional artwork that may be scattered throughout the booklet, and I want to be able to put a CD up on my shelf next to the rest of my collection after listening to it.

Digital music just doesn't have the same feeling about it, all you get is the music files. I know the music and the audio is the main thing that matters when you buy the product, but having the physical product is just a better experience overall. Yes, digital music is convenient as you can get music within minutes without leaving your computer chair, and yes, it may be cheaper at times (not always), but convenience and money are things that I am more than willing to sacrifice in order to have the physical product. I don't mind if I have to leave my home to purchase music, in fact, I would actually prefer to go out to a CD shop and browse through the music in there, buy the CD that I want, and then make a transaction with another human being, then come home and put the brand new album into the stereo. It feels more real, it doesn't feel virtual. I enjoy CD shops, I like being able to search around in the many other CD's in order to find what I'm looking for, it can lead to other discoveries. This doesn't happen as much with digital purchasing.

Many people feel the same way with books, they like the look, the feel, the smell, and not just the text inside. They like to go to book shops, and search for what they're looking for. That's because it's physical and it's real. It's a better experience than reading books or magazine articles online. I feel this way about many things; not just CD's, but movies, magazines, books, games among other things. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, I know that many other people would much rather have physical items. This is why so many people were requesting the Voodoo Cards from 'Tales of Monkey Island' to be released on actual card for purchase. Of course, we had images of the Voodoo Cards online, but what were those compared to the real thing? Having the real thing/s means that you own a collector's item, having the digital version means that you don't have a collector's item; you have a virtual copy that will always be available through the net and will never become obsolete. I guess this is half the reason why a CD collection is much more impressive than a music library on you computer (and, also, what happens if your entire music collection is on your computer, and it suddenly crashes?).

As, for the 'hard to carry around' thing, you don't actually have to carry them around, you can extract them (as you said, Avistew) and have a digital alternative which you can then put onto your iPod. And I don't see how the extraction is any slower than downoading the music (legally). Also, with this method, you have a physical backup for your digital music, and a digital backup for your physical music. The fact is that there are benefits to having CD's, more-so [I think] than having a digital music collection. I know that many individuals prefer buying digital music (for reasons already mentioned), and I have no objection to those people who prefer to purchase their music this way; it is entirely up to them. However, I do fear that, with a higher percentage of people buying digital music online, that fewer and fewer artists and bands will choose to even bother releasing physical versions of their albums. This isn't something that I want to happen, I want to be able to buy my favourite bands music off of racks and stands, and not off of the net. I don't want CD shops and physical music distribution to die on account of digital music (not a probability, but a possibility). I enjoy physical music too much, I like the days when a major artist releases their new album and hundreds rush out to buy it on the first day. Those days are great, and that's another thing that I wouldn't want to lose.

Anyway, I realize that I may be going overboard here, so I won't ramble on any further, but I do know that I am one of many who feels this way about music and it method of distribution. Just in case anybody gets the notion that I'm attacking and criticizing the way that they buy their music, let me assure you that I am not, I'm just putting forward my personal opinion.

And, Avistew, don't worry, this whole post wasn't entirely targeted at your post, but it was targeted at the topic in general.

And, to the rest of you, sorry if this is slightly off topic.

[GuruGuru214]

Hayden, you just gave me the warm and fuzzies. Granted, it was because you made me think of how proud I am of my video game collection, but I'm still a little creeped out here.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by GuruGuru214

Hayden, you just gave me the warm and fuzzies. Granted, it was because you made me think of how proud I am of my video game collection, but I'm still a little creeped out here.

Hehe, don't worry, I was expecting to have that reaction the whole way through typing that post .

[Alcoremortis]

Originally Posted by Hayden

I would actually prefer to go out to a CD shop and browse through the music in there, buy the CD that I want, and then make a transaction with another human being, then come home and put the brand new album into the stereo. It feels more real, it doesn't feel virtual. I enjoy CD shops, I like being able to search around in the many other CD's in order to find what I'm looking for, it can lead to other discoveries. This doesn't happen as much with digital purchasing.

I always loved poking around in CD shops, mainly because I never know what I want until I see it. Then, all the CD shops in my area closed down. Since the choices remaining are driving for an hour, amazon (or other websites), or iTunes I usually just choose iTunes because gas money/shipping isn't involved. But it took me awhile. Some albums I'll probably still buy a hard copy just to complete a set (packrat mentality ).

[Chyron8472]

Software and Games: I download PC games and other software via torrent only when

• I have/had the media but it is either lost, stolen or damaged
• I have the media/software but want to use a no-disc/Steam-less copy;
• I want the software but can't find it anywhere at all or else without paying unnecessarily exorbitant prices (in cases of rarity, not high retail value);
• I want to demo it but none exists that I can locate.

Music: I download music via torrent only when

• I have music on disc that has DRM which prevents me from personally converting it to MP3;
• I want to download game soundtrack music which is rare and/or extremely difficult to locate, possibly because it is available for sale on physical media only in Japan, and perhaps even then does not contain the full track list of all songs in the game (for example, this reason was applied specifically to Zelda:Twilight Princess, since I was able to locate a torrent copy containing every song from the game, while the official soundtrack is not readily available for sale in the US and doesn't even contain half the ingame music anyway)

Movies: I do not download torrent copies of movies at all if I can find a streaming version online, and in either case it must be an obscure movie that I remember watching once from long ago but doubt Blockbuster has, or a movie that I'm unsure if it's any good (eg. Defending Your Life for example of an old obscure movie, Epic Movie and Butterfly Effect 2 as examples of movies I wasn't sure were any good.) I do not intentionally keep local copies of movies found either way, and when I find locally cached copies I delete them shortly afterward.
I have been known to rent movies from Amazon On Demand (eg. Superman: The Movie), but sometimes movies I look for aren't available there.


TV Shows: I do not download torrent copies of TV shows at all if I can find a streaming version online, and then in either case only do so to catch up on a current series that I missed episodes for or an old series that is no longer running... or Star Trek. ...I do have to admit having watched every episode of every series of Star Trek at least once, and those from any other Trek series except TOS I have seen numerous times, but I also know where to find most any Trek episode from streaming video websites, so that also applies to my first statement.

[Friar]

I don't torrent/stream movies. Maybe it's because of all those piracy warnings on every film I watch, or the low quality of them when i used to pirate films (3/4 years back?), but i preffer to buy films on Blu-ray (or DVD, if it's significantly cheaper). I don't have much time to watch films anyway.

As for TV, i just watch whats available for free on the likes of iplayer, youtube (on official TV channels) and seesaw. (i.e. i watch them on those sites)