Need some piracy advice....

[bfgmetalhead]

One of my friends pirated Skyrim recently (like a day ago). I am really, really irrated about it, I spent a whole hour almost ranting at him about how cruel it was to Bethesda's workers who poured so much work into the game for him to just pirate it.
He said that he was completely justified in taking it at as he did'nt want to pay for it, which in my opinion is a terrible excuse.

Now I don't hate pirates, some times it is fair. Like situations like no demo, trying before you buy it, it's an EA game(lol half-joke) or it is'nt available anymore to buy; but just taking a product for the sake of WEYHAY FREE SHIT!!111!! just does not sit well with me.

Anyway I need some advice, is their any system that I can report this to secretly? Cause I really think I need to make an example of him, and he is the kind of person that if he does it once an gets away wih it, he will do it again.

So fellow escapists any suggesions?

p.s Don't turn this into a Skyrim vs Oblivion thread plox. WUV U <3

Edit. I don't like the idea of snitching on him but there is no other way I can think of were he would get the message that theiving of deserving companys is unacceptable. I f anyone has a suggestion I would love to know .

 

[Savo]

There isn't really any way to get him in trouble. If he wants to steal games, there really isn't any way to stop him if he lacks the common decency to pay for them. I've known people who did similar things; best thing to do is just forget about it because you won't ever be able to convince him otherwise.

 

[Gamergeek25]

One of my friends pirated Skyrim recently (like a day ago). I am really, really irrated about it, I spent a whole hour almost ranting at him about how cruel it was to Bethesda's workers who poured so much work into the game for him to just pirate it.
He said that he was completely justified in taking it at as he did'nt want to pay for it, which in my opinion is a terrible excuse.

Now I don't hate pirates, some times it is fair. Like situations like no demo, trying before you buy it, it's an EA game(lol half-joke) or it is'nt available anymore to buy; but just taking a product for the sake of WEYHAY FREE SHIT!!111!! just does not sit well with me.

Anyway I need some advice, is their any system that I can report this to secretly? Cause I really think I need to make an example of him, and he is the kind of person that if he does it once an gets away wih it, he will do it again.

So fellow escapists any suggesions?

p.s Don't turn this into a Skyrim vs Oblivion thread plox. WUV U <3

I feel for you man. I truly do. Maybe send an email to Bethesda?

 

[bfgmetalhead]

One of my friends pirated Skyrim recently (like a day ago). I am really, really irrated about it, I spent a whole hour almost ranting at him about how cruel it was to Bethesda's workers who poured so much work into the game for him to just pirate it.
He said that he was completely justified in taking it at as he did'nt want to pay for it, which in my opinion is a terrible excuse.

Now I don't hate pirates, some times it is fair. Like situations like no demo, trying before you buy it, it's an EA game(lol half-joke) or it is'nt available anymore to buy; but just taking a product for the sake of WEYHAY FREE SHIT!!111!! just does not sit well with me.

Anyway I need some advice, is their any system that I can report this to secretly? Cause I really think I need to make an example of him, and he is the kind of person that if he does it once an gets away wih it, he will do it again.

So fellow escapists any suggesions?

p.s Don't turn this into a Skyrim vs Oblivion thread plox. WUV U <3

I feel for you man. I truly do. Maybe send an email to Bethesda?

Thanks bro, I half expected the responses to be Y U NO LIEK PIRATES!! ******!

 

[Hazy992]

Ya know, I can understand distaste of his position, but you'd really do that to a friend of yours?

That was my thought as well. He can't be a very good friend if you'd be willing to do that to him.

 

[Savagezion]

I don't know man, ratting out a friend is a pretty shitty action in and of itself. I don't know who you would report it to but it seems a bit rotten. If you felt that strongly about it, why would it need to be secretly? His excuse is terrible, I agree and I too feel there are times where piracy is justified. However, I have a few friends that do this and I simply don't talk games much with them anymore. Anytime they complain or mention what the industry should do, I just remind them that they have no room to talk because it isn't like they pay for games anyways.
Secretly snitching on him is low. Even if you view it as treating him as he is the developers, that makes you no better than him. I don't like pirates like him, but I don't like friends that would betray someone's trust even more. That's my take on it though.

 

[Gamergeek25]

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snip

snip!

I am sure if you send an email to either the publisher who has recently sued over the name Scrolls or Bethesda legal department you may be in luck. If the legal team shrugs it off. I am sure the publishers will send their legal team on your friend.

 

[tippy2k2]

Ya know, I can understand distaste of his position, but you'd really do that to a friend of yours?

Alright, I'm going to hop up on my soap box for a few seconds. You don't have to agree with me but this is how I see it...

Piracy is bad, I think most of us can agree on that (or if you don't, you're probably not here on this forum since Mods have made the sites stance pretty damn clear).

Now, if someone was on welfare who shouldn't be, friend or not, would you report them? If someone is running an insurance scam, would you report them? If someone was skimming a bit of money off of bank transactions (think Office Space), would you report them?

I use those as examples because they're all examples of someone taking money from someone. Maybe you would report your friend and maybe you wouldn't but I'm thinking that THIS is where the OP is coming from. I'd be surprised if he was doing it for shits and giggles...

*EDIT: Note; I purposefully did not state what I thought about the issue. I'm merely thinking about how the OP is seeing the situation (though if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me OP)

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

OP, I have to ask you: have you ever watched a youtube video that wasn't uploaded by the copyright owner? Ever listened to a song on youtube that wasn't part of an official channel? Ever downloaded a song, movie, or TV show? Ever used an image you didn't have explicit permission to use(hint: if you didn't personally make your avatar, you've definitely done that one)? Then you need to stop complaining about your friend, because you are literally just as much of a lawbreaker as he is. Modern copyright law is fundamentally broken. There's no need to ever get high and mighty about it like this.

 

[Hazy992]

Ya know, I can understand distaste of his position, but you'd really do that to a friend of yours?

That was my thought as well. He can't be a very good friend if you'd be willing to do that to him.

I'd say. I mean I'd feel bad that a friend did something wrong and I let him get away with it, but if it's a friend then even if they make mistakes I'd like for them to not suffer for it.

Yeah same. I wouldn't fuck up my friendship over something like this.

 

[Thoric485]

Bethesda are already sitting on a mountain of cash. Chill the fuck out and don't be snitchin'.

 

[bfgmetalhead]

Ya know, I can understand distaste of his position, but you'd really do that to a friend of yours?

Alright, I'm going to hop up on my soap box for a few seconds. You don't have to agree with me but this is how I see it...

Piracy is bad, I think most of us can agree on that (or if you don't, you're probably not here on this forum since Mods have made the sites stance pretty damn clear).

Now, if someone was on welfare who shouldn't be, friend or not, would you report them? If someone is running an insurance scam, would you report them? If someone was skimming a bit of money off of bank transactions (think Office Space), would you report them?

I use those as examples because they're all examples of someone taking money from someone. Maybe you would report your friend and maybe you wouldn't but I'm thinking that THIS is where the OP is coming from. I'd be surprised if he was doing it for shits and giggles...

*EDIT: Note; I purposefully did not state what I thought about the issue. I'm merely thinking about how the OP is seeing the situation (though if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me OP)

Your pretty much right the fact is, like I said he will keep doing it now and in the long run will either get caught and face worse repercuisions or just prove piracy is a way to get free games for no risk and laugh in my face about it. I just need to scare him into stopping is all. I am not doing this out of spite.

 

[bfgmetalhead]

Wow, you're a real jerk, I don't know what to say.

no personal attacks please. it's not really needed.

 

[tippy2k2]

Clearly, actively stealing money from others is comparable to pirating 6 GBs of data. I mean, who couldnt see it? Its pretty much the same thing, right?

Yes, depending on how you view piracy, it would be the same exact thing.

Some people define it as: I'm making a copy of this, not stealing
Other people define it as: You're directly stealing from a developer

Again, I'm not going to get into the ethics or definition of piracy. I put in that example because I'm guessing the OP is going to get the reaction that most have already stated: "Why would you do that to your friend!?". I'm guessing that the OP feels that piracy IS stealing (EDIT: OP confirmed this after I posted this) and I'm putting this down at the beginning of the thread to try to assist the shit-storm that is surely coming (hell, it's already here. My post has probably done nothing to stop the tide).

EDIT 2: Nope, Shit storm not averted. It's been twelve hours and we have people thrashing each other in these late pages...maybe there is no way to have a reasonable discussion about piracy on this board.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Clearly, actively stealing money from others is comparable to pirating 6 GBs of data. I mean, who couldnt see it? Its pretty much the same thing, right?

Yes, depending on how you view piracy, it would be the same exact thing.

Some people define it as: I'm making a copy of this, not stealing
Other people define it as: You're directly stealing from a developer

Again, I'm not going to get into the ethics of piracy. I put in that example because I'm guessing the OP is going to get the reaction that most have already stated: "Why would you do that to your friend!?". I'm guessing that the OP feels that piracy IS stealing (EDIT: OP confirmed this after I posted this) and I'm putting this down at the beginning of the thread to try to assist the shit-storm that is surely coming (hell, it's already here. My post has probably done nothing to stop the tide).

Well in that case, the OP is still wrong. Piracy is copyright infringement, not theft. They're two very different things.

Edit: By the way, I don't see anyone in this thread who is innocent of copyright infringement. Look on the left hand side of the screen. See those pictures? See how they're all images of copyrighted things/images made by people other than the user (and therefore copyrighted by someone else)? Congratulations, we're all thieves.

 

[Baldr]

If you are playing a game, that means you deem it worth value. If your not paying for it, basically your an asshole(and a thief). There are plenty of ways to play games and not pay very much for it especially in the United States... Redbox, Blockbuster, GameFly, OnLive, Gaikai, Steam, all these services offer some demos and or really cheap rental.

 

[bfgmetalhead]

Ya know, I can understand distaste of his position, but you'd really do that to a friend of yours?

Alright, I'm going to hop up on my soap box for a few seconds. You don't have to agree with me but this is how I see it...

Piracy is bad, I think most of us can agree on that (or if you don't, you're probably not here on this forum since Mods have made the sites stance pretty damn clear).

Now, if someone was on welfare who shouldn't be, friend or not, would you report them? If someone is running an insurance scam, would you report them? If someone was skimming a bit of money off of bank transactions (think Office Space), would you report them?

I use those as examples because they're all examples of someone taking money from someone. Maybe you would report your friend and maybe you wouldn't but I'm thinking that THIS is where the OP is coming from. I'd be surprised if he was doing it for shits and giggles...

*EDIT: Note; I purposefully did not state what I thought about the issue. I'm merely thinking about how the OP is seeing the situation (though if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me OP)

Your pretty much right the fact is, like I said he will keep doing it now and in the long run will either get caught and face worse repercuisions or just prove piracy is a way to get free games for no risk and laugh in my face about it. I just need to scare him into stopping is all. I am not doing this out of spite.

How will he face worse repercussions? He gets caught, he gets caught. I don't think that pirating 10 more games will cause much of a difference.

And even mentioning the laughing in your face bit does make it sound out of spite partially.

Why don't you just, I dunno, send him a fake e-mail from Bethesda or the FBI telling him to
stop if you just want to scare him.

He is quite arrogant thats why he would laugh in my face about it. Although the fake email idea is pretty clever actually... Thanks for being polite though unlike some other people..

 

[bfgmetalhead]

Clearly, actively stealing money from others is comparable to pirating 6 GBs of data. I mean, who couldnt see it? Its pretty much the same thing, right?

Yes, depending on how you view piracy, it would be the same exact thing.

Some people define it as: I'm making a copy of this, not stealing
Other people define it as: You're directly stealing from a developer

Again, I'm not going to get into the ethics of piracy. I put in that example because I'm guessing the OP is going to get the reaction that most have already stated: "Why would you do that to your friend!?". I'm guessing that the OP feels that piracy IS stealing (EDIT: OP confirmed this after I posted this) and I'm putting this down at the beginning of the thread to try to assist the shit-storm that is surely coming (hell, it's already here. My post has probably done nothing to stop the tide).

Well in that case, the OP is still wrong. Piracy is copyright infringement, not theft. They're two very different things.

your right but he is still using content that Bethesda created without paying for it. Yes it's not the end of the world but I would'nt like it if I made somthing and then someone just took it and did'nt care. I know another guy who pirates games from Biowear but he hates EA so he sends the price of the game to biowear as a donation after he pirates it. This I am more happy with. Thats my general opinion kk .

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Clearly, actively stealing money from others is comparable to pirating 6 GBs of data. I mean, who couldnt see it? Its pretty much the same thing, right?

Yes, depending on how you view piracy, it would be the same exact thing.

Some people define it as: I'm making a copy of this, not stealing
Other people define it as: You're directly stealing from a developer

Again, I'm not going to get into the ethics of piracy. I put in that example because I'm guessing the OP is going to get the reaction that most have already stated: "Why would you do that to your friend!?". I'm guessing that the OP feels that piracy IS stealing (EDIT: OP confirmed this after I posted this) and I'm putting this down at the beginning of the thread to try to assist the shit-storm that is surely coming (hell, it's already here. My post has probably done nothing to stop the tide).

Well in that case, the OP is still wrong. Piracy is copyright infringement, not theft. They're two very different things.

your right but he is still using content that Bethesda created without paying for it. Yes it's not the end of the world but I would'nt like it if I made somthing and then someone just took it and did'nt care. I know another guy who pirates games from Biowear but he hates EA so he sends the price of the game to biowear as a donation after he pirates it. This I am more happy with. Thats my general opinion kk .

Let me say this again:

OP, I have to ask you: have you ever watched a youtube video that wasn't uploaded by the copyright owner? Ever listened to a song on youtube that wasn't part of an official channel? Ever downloaded a song, movie, or TV show? Ever used an image you didn't have explicit permission to use(hint: if you didn't personally make your avatar, you've definitely done that one)? Then you need to stop complaining about your friend, because you are literally just as much of a lawbreaker as he is. Modern copyright law is fundamentally broken. There's no need to ever get high and mighty about it like this.

Stones in glass houses, man.

 

[DoPo]

He is quite arrogant thats why he would laugh in my face about it. Although the fake email idea is pretty clever actually... Thanks for being polite though unlike some other people..

Technically, a fake email is extremely easy to do. But...let me make this as explicit as possible: faking an email can totally get you sued! Depending on where you are, you can face even worse repercussions.