Why I don't like piracy: a software developer's thoughts.

[ThePlasmatizer]

Software piracy isn't stealing though it's illegal copying and distribution. It's simply not an analog to taking someones car, and the more we reach for these inane analogies the less we can have an intelligent discussion on the matter.

It's the same as stealing someone's car, the funny thing is all these inane analogies are true you just don't want to admit that what you are doing is stealing someones hard work and intellectual property.

 

[Solo508]

Sayvara, I couldn't have put it better myself. Totally agree with everything you just said.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

Software piracy isn't stealing though it's illegal copying and distribution. It's simply not an analog to taking someones car, and the more we reach for these inane analogies the less we can have an intelligent discussion on the matter.

It's the same as stealing someone's car, the funny thing is all these inane analogies are true you just don't want to admit that what you are doing is stealing someones hard work and intellectual property.

If you steal someone's car, they lose one car and you gain one.

If you pirate, you gain something out of nothing.

Actually you gain free software and they lose money.

 

[Slycne]

Software piracy isn't stealing though it's illegal copying and distribution. It's simply not an analog to taking someones car, and the more we reach for these inane analogies the less we can have an intelligent discussion on the matter.

It's the same as stealing someone's car, the funny thing is all these inane analogies are true you just don't want to admit that what you are doing is stealing someones hard work and intellectual property.

If you bothered to read back through all the posts you would realize I am about as against software piracy as they come. Not even the law recognizes it as stealing and it's foolish to try to classify it as such because all you are doing is flame baiting instead of discussing. It's copyright infringement.

 

[Akafrank]

If you bothered to read back through all the posts you would realize I am about as against software piracy as they come. Not even the law recognizes it as stealing and it's foolish to try to classify it as such because all you are doing is flame baiting instead of discussing. It's copyright infringement.

I believe, regardless of it's influence on the conversation, that piracy is in fact stealing. A team of designers, artists, programmers, administrators etc work 3+ years, creating something in which they have great personal and professional investment. They do this for the purpose of creating a commercial product/experience to sell and make a living from. Pirates play the game, have the experience, but do not pay these people for their work. They have stolen from them.

Issues of incorporating their work into other works (Machinima, Mods etc.) is where copyright discussions make more sense.

 

[Slycne]

...

I believe, regardless of it's influence on the conversation, that piracy is in fact stealing. A team of designers, artists, programmers, administrators etc work 3+ years, creating something in which they have great personal and professional investment. They do this for the purpose of creating a commercial product/experience to sell and make a living from. Pirates play the game, have the experience, but do not pay these people for their work. They have stolen from them.

Issues of incorporating their work into other works (Machinima, Mods etc.) is where copyright discussions make more sense.

The crux is that it's illegal. Everything else is just arguing semantics and detracting from a discussion what software piracy does to the industry we all enjoy, good or bad.

One of the reasons why I am against software piracy and in favor of purchasing is to steer the market. If I buy a game then a developer knows they did something right, and they will continue to make games that I enjoy. One of the developers from Stardock puts it best

In the end, the pirates hurt themselves. PC game developers will either slowly migrate to making games that cater to the people who buy PC games or they'll move to platforms where people are more inclined to buy games. - http://draginol.joeuser.com/article/303512/Piracy_PC_Gaming

 

[friedmetroid]

Because researching a major purchase is obviously out of the realm of reason. That's right everyone here who is advocating against piracy is a millionaire with more money then God, you caught us.

I haven't regretted a video game purchase for years now, and I never had to resort to downloading it to make a decision.


To further the discussion though

However, so far the arguments for piracy are not that it fosters innovation, or creates an environment that does. If this is the position you are taking, then I am genuinely interested in hearing that side of the debate.

For me, downloading it IS researching, unless you want me to shell out $50 on nothing but people's opinions?

THAT is out of the realm of reason.

If I don't like a game, I delete it without buying it, nothing gained or lost for either party. If I do like it, then I delete it and purchase it. It seems pretty reasonable to me.

While it's true that not all software pirates hold themselves to the same honor code, my point was that the OP's generalizations about pirates were incorrect.

(fun bit of trivia, have a look at my Steam account and see all the games I legitimately purchased, most of them after trying them first http://steamcommunity.com/id/9890 )

 

[squid5580]

Here is my big question. Why is it that almost everyone justifies piracy because games are expensive? If I go into a store with 50 cents in my pocket and I see a chocolate bar I want that costs a buck why does it seem the general concensus through this (and other threads on this very topic) it is OK for me to steal it? I won't die if I don't get said chocolate bar. If I wait I might be able to get the bar for cheaper. And a worse case scenario is I'll have to save that 50 cents til I can afford the bar.

And I wouldn't define friedmetroid's scenario as piracy. There should be a demo for every game put out there since we are being charged upwards of 60 bucks a pop for alot of times poor games that are half finished. We consumers should have an opportunity to test out said product before we are stuck with our purchase with no chance of a refund.

 

[[zonking great]]

Arr, arr, ahoy and avast!

Okay. So, first you get the ideas of other people. Then you convert that into a game. But don't fix it. No, just make it playable enough to be open for patches. There's your money.

FUCK. THAT.

Everybody wants their money from selling their shit, and there will be gigantic mark-ups everywhere. But who is screwed? The consumer is. Either the developer craps out a half baked game (Oh, hello there, almost 100% of the christmas releases. I -am- talking about you!) which you will have to buy at full price or the original minds get absorbed by the grey goop that is the bigger software house. WE. LOSE.

What's the use of keeping a game clutched to your chest when others could be enjoying it? Do you make games for your own enjoyment and others? Or for your own money and enjoyment?

 

[The Shade]

I never pirate. I buy my video games (new, not used, but that's not relevant). I buy my software from the developers. I'll get Final Cut or Adobe software legally, no matter how expensive it is. I pay for all my music through iTunes, or buy the CDs.

Some call me a fool, but at least I'm a fool with clean record.

 

[Prototype]

I've always found this debate an interesting one, and though I'll make an injection into the subject, know that my basic opinion is that piracy is wrong.

Now, if I go to a store and take a CD off the shelf, that's theft in the fact that I'm removing material that was previously owned by someone else. However, piracy is not the removal of any material object, and in fact nothing is technically lost on the side of the developer. Hear me out here.

If I were to have the ability to get the material and assemble it, I could make a computer that looks exactly like a Dell. Also, I could distribute it as long as it is free, with the only likely lawsuit against me being that I might be tarnishing Dell's name. No one in their right mind would call this theft, as nothing is taken from Dell. Now, the only argument I see is that music/games are theft due to one stealing intellectual property.

However, again, if I were to play music on my own instruments, and again only distribute this recreated music for free, it's unlikely that anyone would call this theft, regardless of how close it comes to the original. This is instead exclusively copying.

Since copying by nature is not theft, I don't see how piracy can (by technicality) be theft. Piracy is only the recreation of existing materials, not the removal of existing materials.

However, one could state that this may be against the original owners will, but I don't believe that the original owner has any say once they have sold their work. I'm allowed to do with my car what I please, and that is more than what's afforded with current laws forbidding the removal of DRM from bought software. So as is, it makes sense that the consumer fights back when their rights are hurt.

Now, to reiterate, I am not pro-piracy, I'm just putting forth some of my musings on the subject.

 

[Siyon]

Nobody Gives a Fuck, I'm Still not going to pay for Something that's Not physical. (Steam&What-not)

 

[Sayvara]

Ok, I've been aftsailed here for about a page... apologies if a few people get questions un-answered but I'm falling off my chair here from fatigue since it's in the middle of the night.


Let me just again re-iterate my opinion that I do not equal piracy to stealing. I see many others are doing it here... but I simply do not agree. If someone was to steal software from me, that would involve breaking into my computer, taking my code, erasing it from my system and somehow manage to transfer the owner rights of that code to themselves without my consent. Piracy is not that.

I am arguing that piracy is wrong because it is disrespectful to the owner's right to have final say-so over his own creation... that pirates act shameful when they say "I haev just decided that I am entitled to spread your software anywhere I see fit despite you having told me I must not do that".

The very same principle governs this as that say I cannot take your car for a spin without your permission, even if I do return it refueled when I'm done. The same principle that says I cannot walk into your house; eat your food; sleep in our bed; play on your computer; borrow your DVDs without your permission, even if I do return everything to its original state and you don't lose anything.

Yours & Mine, the principle that says: "Ask and get permission first before you use other people's stuff". We learn it as kids and we respect it in all other ways of life. Why shouldn't we do that with software?

/S

 

[Akafrank]

Any moral or altruistic values aside. If you want developers and publishers to dedicate more money, time and effort into protecting their work, if you want games to get more expensive, if you want fewer pc titles, if you want more invasive DRM's then piracy is definately the way to go.