Poll: Internet Piracy (need input from community for exam)

[TheTaco007]

What kind of stuff do you download? Music mostly, movies too. Maybe a video game here and there.
Do you think its wrong? It certainly isn't right. I mean it is technically stealing. However, I can certainly think of MUCH worse things I could be doing.
What would have to happen to make you stop? In order for people to stop, companies are going to have to start releasing all of their products for free, which would defeat the purpose of a company. It's never going to happen.
Or make you pirate more? If apple keeps releasing stupid products that limit how I can use the things I'm supposed to pay for. I mean, if they're not going to let us listen to the music or movies we buy, why should I pay for it? (I'm referring to how apple seems to do everything in it's power to make you pay for things you would normally get for free. Ex: If I buy music on my ipod, I'd have to buy it again if I want it on my computer instead. Unless I pirate...)

 

[lwm3398]

Ya know they can jail me but they can't stop me from doing something that is questionably right or wrong.

No, I mean on the site. They could ban you if you say you pirate stuff.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Ya know they can jail me but they can't stop me from doing something that is questionably right or wrong.

No, I mean on the site. They could ban you if you say you pirate stuff.

They could then they would be alienating their readers.....its like a corporate web forum when you can not talk about the bad things about a a game,company or DRM, whats the point of going to the forum if you can not speak the truth respectfully.

 

[Regiment]

What would have to happen to make you pirate more?

Nothing. It's a matter of law and principle. Just because a company is unfair to their customers or releases media I wouldn't want to pay for doesn't make it right to steal from them.

It's always interesting to me when I see this particular argument against piracy. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but I just have to wonder what it is about your mind that makes you draw this conclusion. What I mean is, why do you believe your morals and principles should be derived from our laws? After all, throughout history, the law of any particular country has always lagged behind the more just and logical morals of its people. This of course includes America, where we have had laws which require you to own slaves, or even today have rather close-minded and ignorant laws regarding homosexuality. It's rather often that people have to break their country's laws to do what they consider right.

Again, not that piracy is some great cause in need of a champion, I just don't fully understand the mindset.

Warning: Unfunny soapbox bit.

I consider piracy wrong. It's thievery and it's depriving a business of sales. (Please don't use the old "I only pirate stuff I'd never buy" argument; if you want it enough to steal it you would certainly buy it at some cost.) This is unarguable to me. To take an intellectual property someone worked on in utter defiance of that person's desire to be compensated for it is immoral, to say nothing of the people you're hurting who aren't developers. (Here I mean advertisers, package designers, manufacture of the disks, and so forth).

As for laws and morals: I think the law against piracy is very moral. You cited immoral laws, and I can't argue that (homophobia and slavery certainly aren't good), but I find the law to be in the right more often than not. For instance: you cannot murder or rape people, you have the right to a trial, Congress cannot institute a national religion, and you can only drive on one side of the road. In my experience, the few immoral laws that may exist are greatly outnumbered by those that are moral. In any case, my beliefs aren't based on law, but they tend to conform to them. (I believe murder is wrong, and it so happens that it is illegal.)

 

[TheDoctor455]

I've never pirated any game, movie, or song in my life.
The only things I've ever downloaded from the internet (intentionally, viruses don't count here)
were syllabi for my classes, and mods for games that I had paid for.

 

[Hollock]

I am doing a 8 minute presentation for an exam and I want to throw in some research.

How often do you pirate stuff.

Once every couple weeks

What kind of stuff do you download?

movies, music

Do you think its wrong?

Yeah

What would have to happen to make you stop?

When I get a job and start making money I'll stop

Or make you pirate more?

Nothing would make me pirate more.

 

[FalloutJack]

I am doing a 8 minute presentation for an exam and I want to throw in some research.

How often do you pirate stuff, Never, sometimes, alot or everthing.

What kind of stuff do you download?
Do you think its wrong?
What would have to happen to make you stop?
Or make you pirate more?

You DO realize that the smart pirates will never own up to the fact, right?

 

[VanityGirl]

How often do you pirate stuff: a lot

What kind of stuff do you download? music mostly, but occasionally overpriced programs like Microsoft word

Do you think its wrong? To some extent.

What would have to happen to make you stop? Lower the prices of certain goods. At $0.99 a song, it was take about $40,000 to fill up a 120Gig Ipod. I use this all the time, $40,000 is more than I make in 2 years, how can I afford that?

Or make you pirate more? If the price of things continue to go up, the more people, (myself included) will pirate things.

 

[FinalHeart95]

Do SNES emulators count? If so, then yeah, but I never pirate anything else.

 

[Danglybits]

Yes, I pirate. All kinds of stuff, mostly anime and manga. The odd video game here and there. Yes I think it's wrong, but I don't particularly care. Most of the stuff I pirate I don't have the opportunity to pay for in the first place. I would stop if I really feared legal action. I don't think that there's anything that would make me pirate more, if I want something that badly and deem it worthy of my time I tend to pay for it.

 

[uncle-ellis]

I do pirate things.
Yea it is wrong but hey-ho.

 

[XT inc]

I am doing a 8 minute presentation for an exam and I want to throw in some research.

How often do you pirate stuff, Never, sometimes, alot or everthing.

What kind of stuff do you download?
Do you think its wrong?
What would have to happen to make you stop?
Or make you pirate more?

I believe your poll is skewed. People usually don't pirate a LOT of things at one time. True there will always be small amounts of piracy (usually related to) but I doubt anyone will admit to downloading more than a few songs or a game or two.

I feel I have sectioned my poll adequately.

A option for those who pirate nothing, One for those who use it to sample or have a little bit, and option for people who have allot of downloaded goods. and an option for people morally opposed to paying and get whatever they need for free.

 

[XT inc]

I am doing a 8 minute presentation for an exam and I want to throw in some research.

How often do you pirate stuff, Never, sometimes, alot or everthing.

What kind of stuff do you download?
Do you think its wrong?
What would have to happen to make you stop?
Or make you pirate more?

You DO realize that the smart pirates will never own up to the fact, right?

They can just vote, I understand that we are talking about something that is Technically illegal, but has become the online equivalent of jay walking.

I don't ask for a laundry list of "crimes", I am just saying that in all honesty it's so rampant it's not even viewed as a faux pas.

The main skew I put on this topic is I used the word Pirate. that phrasing gives this action a sinister tone. When you over hear people talking about torrents there isn't the feeling of two people talking about crimes. Its just people getting a free copy of something from somewhere.

 

[FalloutJack]

I am doing a 8 minute presentation for an exam and I want to throw in some research.

How often do you pirate stuff, Never, sometimes, alot or everthing.

What kind of stuff do you download?
Do you think its wrong?
What would have to happen to make you stop?
Or make you pirate more?

You DO realize that the smart pirates will never own up to the fact, right?

They can just vote, I understand that we are talking about something that is Technically illegal, but has become the online equivalent of jay walking.

I don't ask for a laundry list of "crimes", I am just saying that in all honesty it's so rampant it's not even viewed as a faux pas.

The main skew I put on this topic is I used the word Pirate. that phrasing gives this action a sinister tone. When you over hear people talking about torrents there isn't the feeling of two people talking about crimes. Its just people getting a free copy of something from somewhere.

Arrr! Well put, Jim-lad! In that case!

{1} Never!

{2} Ah don't!

{3} No!

{4} A change in business ethics!

{5} A different change in business ethics!

A point ta' be made, I'll share with ye. Ah perpetuate thah pirate joke, but in no way am I lyin' about it. Make of that what yeh will!

 

[DaOysterboy]

I don't really pirate anything.
Yes I think it's wrong.
N/A
Restrictive DRM is really the only thing that bothers me so much. If it's too expensive I just won't buy it (that's why I don't spend my weekends in Hawaii). When I bought KotOR I was unable to install it or even open the troubleshooting doc because of the DRM. I had purchased a legitimate copy of something I wanted to play and was unable to play it (or return it) without swapping the DVD-burner. My blame for this failing is split between the pirates who make corporations think that this crap is necessary, and the companies for punishing their customers and not finding a better solution.

Good luck on your project!

 

[Galad]

What kind of stuff do you download?

Various, but mostly animes or music. My comp can't handle most modern games, so whatever games I might pirate would be old.

Do you think its wrong?

Yes, but I have no way to pay for stuff, I barely have enough money for food and rent, and internet is extremely cheap. Maybe one day I'll buy all the games I've enjoyed, but don't consider this as a promise.

What would have to happen to make you stop?

Effective anti-piracy measures in my country, obviously. That, or me being able to get a job that would leave me enough money for entertainment to buy the stuff.

Or make you pirate more?

Well, I'm not going to boycott a stupid DRM since I'm not a paying customer, hence don't feel entitled to proclaim pirating the game that has the aforementioned DRM because of that.

 

[XT inc]

Ya know they can jail me but they can't stop me from doing something that is questionably right or wrong.

No, I mean on the site. They could ban you if you say you pirate stuff.

They could then they would be alienating their readers.....its like a corporate web forum when you can not talk about the bad things about a a game,company or DRM, whats the point of going to the forum if you can not speak the truth respectfully.

I am pretty sure the bans only come from linking to pirated goods and aiding in the act. Saying you do will not get you banned as far as I know.

 

[Weaver]

The majority of things I download are the following:

1) Anime series that aren't released here.

2) The Big Bang Theory episodes, the only TV show I care to watch and I'm not paying for cable just to watch it yet end up missing it because I have class when it airs.

3) Movies. Let's also get this straight. The kind of movies I watch are usually obscure titles, probably not in English or they are really crap B movies or other such shit. Big video stores don't have them, and the only independent movie store in my city that carries that kind of stuff is is 1.5 hours away, and I have no car and the bus doesn't go there, so that means I'm fucking walking. In the 3 hours round trip it would take me to get there and back I could have downloaded and watched the thing. Lets not to mention when it's a Canadian style blizzard there is simply no damn way I'm walking 3 hours outside.

4) Sometimes I pirate games that I own but the CDs are messed up. For instance I just went to install UT99 about a month ago but the CD is so scratched it won't read. So yeah, I downloaded it, however I don't really consider that to be illegal.

-------------------------

So yes, I think it's wrong however I really don't care.

There would have to be serious repercussions from downloading things.

I mainly only pirate things that are either ludicrously expensive to get through legal channels or impossible to get through legal channels. So nothing would really make me pirate more.