Poll: Moral Grey Territory: Pirating Preorders

[II2]

The discussion I put before you is one of of the wishy washy grey area of morality involved with copyright violation under specific conditions. For this discussion the question is:

Is it 'ok' to download an unauthorized copy of something you have already paid for, via pre order (so long as see your order fulfilled)?

Obviously, it's NOT OK - LEGALLY, but this is more about how people act than how they are told to.

This could apply to games, books, whatever, really in this golden age of digital distribution and amazon deliveries, but the specific example that stood out for me in the instance of this was with HBO's Game of Thrones season 1.

So, I saw a few episodes of GoT SE1 and thought, "Damn, sign me up!". Pre Ordered the box set from amazon, arrived a week or two ago. Great investment, nice collectors piece, good bonuses. Took just under a full year to get here from the time I placed the order, due to HBO restricting the sale of the DVD collection to have another broadcast season before it's release and get people watching.

I know a lot of people pirated it and still payed for it. I also know a lot of people pirated it and did not pay for it... many of which probably wouldn't have anyways, but some might have, in my opinion. I know logically 'blaming the victim' (of copyright infringement) isn't right, but a voice in the back of my head still says 'piracy is the situation on the ground nowadays - some of those lost sales are HBO's own stupid fault for not making their product available'.

Anyways, that is wandering a bit from the main question: is it ok to consume material you have and will still paid for, but hasn't been released yet?

the poll should read "How OK are you with that" but does not, despite edits

 

[Tanis]

Legally? No, I don't think so.

Morally? I guess it's okay, as long as you don't can your pre-order...maybe?

 

[II2]

Morally I think it is ok if no one else plays it and you don't help distribute it though the latter is near-impossible to avoid if you use bit-torrent.

It's a slippery slope, ain't it? Even if you yourself have (give-or-take) upright intentions, the act of consuming pirate media supports pirate media. Electronically through p2p or torrents or whatever, but even in so far as accepting videos in person, like from a friend. Even if they're not making any profit on it (bad news), an expression of gratitude will likely make them feel good about doing so, which I think is how people start cultivating that "Robin Hood" delusion.

I agree that even if conceptually you're not directly hurting anyone, your actions do not exist within a vacuum. Worth considering.

 

[tippy2k2]

I'm sure most will disagree but I do think it is not right and you shouldn't partake in piracy.

My view of piracy has always been this: If you can get your hand on the product with a reasonable amount of effort (is it easyish to find, is it an old game you could get on the new systems, etc.) and money (are there multiple zeroes on that price tag and would that money go to a publisher/developer?), don't pirate. For my own criteria, VERY few situations will get through unscathed.

In this case, you have to wait a little bit for your box set, which I see as a reasonable demand. For myself, it's all the "slippery slope" stuff.

 

[Aur0ra145]

You paid for a product to be delivered to you on a certain date.

Obtaining that material before that date is theft.

 

[DoPo]

OP, I think you and the Oatmeal were in a tad similar situation [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones].

OT: I'll have to go with Gabe Newell and the Oatmeal here - piracy is a service problem [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114391-Valves-Gabe-Newell-Says-Piracy-Is-a-Service-Problem]. At least in that case. HBO are preventing people from giving them money? Gee, as if there isn't an alternative that is actually less of a hassle.

 

[Vegosiux]

You paid for a product to be delivered to you on a certain date.

Obtaining that material before that date is theft.

And we have already established that if you steal a computer game copy, it's a genuine copy and not a pirated one, so talking theft just makes the issue all cloudy and all.

 

[Heronblade]

Anyways, that is wandering a bit from the main question: is it ok to consume material you have and will still paid for, but hasn't been released yet?

Morally, it is questionable, I would not do so, but won't raise an objection either.

However, I am really tired of hearing assurances of that sort from people as justification for piracy. People are not particularly inclined to pay for a product they already have, and while it may be true that someone wouldn't be willing to pay full price for this or that product, it doesn't justify taking that product for nothing at all.