U.K. Legal Firm Warns Of Further Action Against File-Sharers

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Wouldn't it be more beneficial cracking down on the crime on the street? Yes, it's against the law, but is it really paining anyone? You get the occaisional story of companies going out of business but when you think about it, people are only going to torrent expensive, popular games. Is it still legal to torrent a game you already own?

/hyper-cynical mode
Yeh, but then the lawyers wouldn't get paid.

Look at it like this:
Cost to the woman : bankruptcy
Cost to the legal system : nil
Cost to the taxpayer : legal fees in credit
Cost to the gaming firms : free advertisement
Cost to the ISP's : Looking at their files
Cost to the smart P2p'ers : None, they're anonymous to the ISP's.

Effect on the world : Almost negligible.

Winners : Gaming Companies and Lawyers
Losers : General Public.

 

[DannyDamage]

That's right, criminalise and bankrupt your punters. Sure they downloaded the game you busted them for, but what about all the other games they bought?

Obviously talking personal use and not some dude copying 1,000 disks and selling them at a car boot sale or Saturday market.

 

[cmstewart87]

It's difficult to disagree with penalising pirates, but when the first case is to fine somebody who clearly can't afford it, and to fine them an obscene amount, it's also pretty difficult to maintain sympathy for the prosecutors.

Does it suggest nobody is exempt? Yeah, it does... does it also suggest they'll be looking to make the biggest, boldest example or statement for the opening lawsuits? Certainly smells like that over here.

I'll just say it. The bigger the risk the better the reward. You take the risk of getting games for free. But currently the risk is minimal. Something had to eventually be done to make the risk more even to the field. You want a game for free? You risk having to end up paying $550. You want to pay for the game you only pay $50

 

[Antari]

So all they could catch was an unemployed mother of two? And they throw the book at her? And are proud of it?

There goes any future vacation plans to the UK. Sounds like Somalia or China may be safer.

 

[molesgallus]

If they were never your customers, why do you have to sue them? I'm a customer, and I'll be quikly alienated by any company imposing unfair punishment for pirating their software.

 

[Lawyer105]

I don't really pirate anything. If something's worth the price, I pay it. If it isn't, I don't really want it anyways. I own over 1000 books, 300 DVD's and around 90 games.

That said... I would pirate Assassin's Creed 2 in a heartbeat (if I actually wanted to play it). Ubisoft has declared war on the pirates. I've got no inherent problem with this. But instead of using (metaphorically) surgical strikes, snipers and smart missiles to eliminate their 'enemy' - they have elected to simply firebomb and sarin-gas the entire country. And since the pirates are prepared for this, with their bunkers and gas masks, the only people that get hurt are the innocent public.

To add insult to injury, many game companies are starting to sell 'licences' to their products, rather than the product itself. If I want to buy a game, that game is mine. I can install it when I like, play it when I like, uninstall it when I like (with no sneaky software still hiding on my computer).

Selling a licence to use the game basically amounts to the games companies saying :
"You can only install it if we let you, you can only play it when we say, and if you uninstall it, we'll leave spyware on your computer to make sure you don't pirate any of our other products. Oh yeah... if we go bust or people stop buying the game, we'll shut it down, so nobody who's bought it can EVER play it again. That'll make you go out and buy the next one. By the way... we'll take your first-born as well. kthxbye!"

Personally, I'm not prepared to put up with that sort of nonsense - hence why I'm playing my older games again. Gotta love Morrowind and Theme Hospital!