Ethics regarding Piracy.

[Giantpanda602]

Its ethical, but I'd make sure to keep the receipt.

 

[Jodah]

Well, I own both diablo 2 and the expansion.. but I can't find my bloody d2-discs... so I pirate it because I know I own it.

Same with Wc3, but there I have both cdkeys in my TFT case for some reason.

If you have the cd keys you can register them on the Blizzard website and get digital downloads.

OT: Ethical? Yes Legal? Not so much. It is further complicated by the fact that several publishers will either replace a damaged disk free of charge via mail or allow legal digital copies (such as Blizzard mentioned above, and Steam for many games).

Well the reason that I didn't mention cd-keys with D2 is because it's probably in the missing D2-case. :/

I have thought about registering my wc3 keys tho, maybe I should do that...

Thanks for reminding me

Yea, I figured but thought I would let ya know just in case, you would be amazed how few people actually know you can do that. And don't worry, I had the same problem with my copies of D2. Now, I write down all my CDkeys and keep them in a folder that never goes more than two feet from its intended location.

 

[MisterGobbles]

Yes, but I'm sure it would still be considered illegal.

 

[Bobbity]

There are a lot of things that are morally right, but still illegal. It's amazing that our system is fucked up enough to work like that

Anyway, yeah, that'd be completely ethical, although I'd just take it back to the store...

 

[thePyro_13]

You purchase a license to play the game, the physical media is only their out of necessity. SO pirating another install disk to use is totally legit. You should still be using your original cd-key anyway.

I have no moral problems with using a crack to bypass DRM when a CD check fails on a real CD or my digital backup(which I am entitled by law to create from my original).

And if my disk is too damaged then I'll just obtain a backup from somewhere else.

 

[Phlakes]

The only times pirating is ethical are-

1. If you have already paid for a copy.
2. If the game is unavailable/really rare.

This falls into the first, and is obviously ethical.

 

[Lilani]

It is ethical, but stupid, because you can just go back to the store and return it for a working copy of the game.

But say it's a very old game that's no longer kept on store shelves, or a very obscure game, or an import you ordered online. There are other ways to get games apart from local stores, you know, and games can get scratched or damaged YEARS after you've bought them.

 

[Kroxile]

You have a right to make backup copies of a game (for yourself only) in case your original is rendered no longer usable.

So, no, legally or morally there is nothing wrong with this.

 

[smearyllama]

Isn't legal to download a ROM file of a game you own for an emulator?
Wouldn't that be the same thing, essentially?

 

[Radeonx]

It is ethical, but stupid, because you can just go back to the store and return it for a working copy of the game.

But say it's a very old game that's no longer kept on store shelves, or a very obscure game, or an import you ordered online. There are other ways to get games apart from local stores, you know, and games can get scratched or damaged YEARS after you've bought them.

If you ordered a defective product online you can still get a new one that works fine, unless you buy from shady people on Ebay/Craigslist or something, which in and of itself, is stupid.
And if it is damaged years after you buy the item, then it wasn't defective when you got it. That makes the point irrelevant because the damage was while it was in YOUR possession, meaning that it is no longer the store's responsibility.

 

[toapat]

*snip*

this isnt piracy, this is an actual legal (insert term i forget here, its not loophole) that specifically states that if you purchased the game, obtaining it through digital distribution is legal, and this applies for basically any country not named Canada.

 

[Agayek]

To be totally honest up-front, I probably have a much more hardline stance against piracy than most people since to me it isn't some nebulous concept in cyberspace, it's a cold hard ***** that takes money from the pockets of those I care about. So if you're looking for approval, you'll likely not get it from me. However, everyone has their own morals and ethics and it is up to each individual to work within their own sense of right and wrong. If you think it's justified in a particular situation, I'm not going to argue to try to change your mind.

Even in the instance of a hardline stance against piracy, is it really piracy to download a copy of something you paid for?

The way I see it, it's no different than if you just made an iso of the disk to free up physical space. As long as you actually pay for the thing, there's really no reason you can't go out and download a copy.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Personally I would also add,

1. If there is no demo for it.

2. If your weren't going to buy the game to begin with (and if you happened to really like it, you must)

Especially with these economic times. Theres no excuse not to have a demo, unless you think you're game sucks.

EDIT: Just watched the EXTRA CREDITS you mentioned. I still believe if a company doesn't release demo they're being a dick. I shouldn't have to write an email, it should be second nature. If you don't care enough about your product to give a player a 5 minute why should I bother paying for it legally before I decide if I want to buy it?

Heres a story, theres and Indy game maker named Adam Ryland (www.GreyDogSoftware.com) that makes a text based pro-wrestling sim game. When that games first edition (2004) demo came out, I decided to be a dick and fiddle with my PC until i got it to the point that I could play past the 48 hour trial period. Fact is, even though I had the full power then to play it for the next 1,000 years via my work around I ended up paying for it anyway because the game gave me that much enjoyment. In fact I ended up buying it well within that trial period (within 5 hours actually).

Just treat your customers right and offer a demo. NO ONE, let alone me, SHOULD BE HAVING TO SAY THIS.

ONE MORE THING- If you're a dirty pirate, at least have the morality to be able to say you are knowingly doing something wrong. More or less, we do all do it, it makes one slightly less in the wrong if you can at least acknowledge your knowingly doing something wrong.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Sorry, but stupid question. Of course its ethical. Pirating a game doesn't equal a lost physical copy as though someone took it off the shelf, therefore if you already bought the game physically, pirating it does no harm to anyone. Its all about lost sales, if theres no lost sale theres no harm done.

Even the games I buy physically I make copies of on my external HDD just so I never have to use the real disks and never have to worry about them becoming scratched or lost. and if they somehow do, I've got my backups with cracks and patches all ready for me in neat little folders.

 

[TheEldestScroll]

i'd say yes provided that you bought it for PC and you have the proof of purchase (receipt).

edit: i say PC because thats probably how you are going to get it since we're talking about electronic piracy.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

i'd say yes provided that you bought it for PC and you have the proof of purchase (receipt).

edit: i say PC because thats probably how you are going to get it since we're talking about electronic piracy.

Though to be honest, physical piracy would be a lot funnier. I can imagine a bunch of 16th century pirates raiding a Gamestop and bringing home the booty.

 

[TheEldestScroll]

haha yes lets go with that. As long as its funny, its ethical.

If I was a manager of a GameStop and witnessed what you just described while on my shift, I would do nothing about it. All I would be able to think is, "Well played".

 

[Zaik]

It's fine as long as you have a valid cd key.

Often times, particularly for older games, the only real thing that pirates actually do is provide a keygen or list of keys and crack the exe so it doesn't properly do a cd check.

If you pirate it and provide your legitimate cd key instead of using their keygen or provided keys you're doing absolutely nothing wrong at all, as that's the entire basis of whether you own it or not.

That said, most newer games have some means of downloading/installing them with just a cd key for this exact same reason. Steam, EA's downoad kajigger, Blizzard's Battle.net crap, etc. all come to mind there.

 

[RicoADF]

Ethical but does that make it legal?

The EULA and most laws allow a backup copy to be burnt incase of damage, it's illegal to pirate the game (aka give it out to friends) not backup the disc. I've read through a few EULA's and often they say "you are allowed to make 1 (one) copy for the purpose of backup" yada yada, besides no court would charge you for it.

EDIT: Assuming you keep the origional packaging/copy. However at the end of the day the store is required by law to replace your damaged copy. They can't refuse.

 

[OutforEC]

To be totally honest up-front, I probably have a much more hardline stance against piracy than most people since to me it isn't some nebulous concept in cyberspace, it's a cold hard ***** that takes money from the pockets of those I care about. So if you're looking for approval, you'll likely not get it from me. However, everyone has their own morals and ethics and it is up to each individual to work within their own sense of right and wrong. If you think it's justified in a particular situation, I'm not going to argue to try to change your mind.

Even in the instance of a hardline stance against piracy, is it really piracy to download a copy of something you paid for?

The way I see it, it's no different than if you just made an iso of the disk to free up physical space. As long as you actually pay for the thing, there's really no reason you can't go out and download a copy.

I concur that if you legally own a copy that it is within your rights. However, it isn't within the rights of the person seeding it, so it still advocates piracy.