Your Views On This

[No_Remainders]

Disclaimer to hopefully avoid mod wrath: I do not advocate the illegal downloading of TV shows, movies, games, music, etc. This post is, in no way, advocating illegal downloads. Don't do it.

Now, the post! So, I've been thinking. Should it be legal if, per chance, you wished to download a TV show which was otherwise un-viewable at the time? For example, if one wished to watch Game of Thrones, which isn't yet out on DVD, should it be legal to download it to watch?

What're your thoughts, Escapist?

 

[Broady Brio]

Using your example... I say no. Another reason rather than "Because the law says so" is that simply because you didn't pay for it.

 

[No_Remainders]

Using your example... I say no. Another reason rather than "Because the law says so" is that simply because you didn't pay for it.

But in this case, you can't pay for it, because nobody's offering to allow me to pay for it, because it's not being shown on TV any more?

 

[Esotera]

It should be legal, but unfortunately it isn't. Mainly thanks to no-one in the TV industry having heard of that obscure invention known as the internet. The technology is there to watch their show 24/7, it costs barely nothing to host a server, I honestly can't see why they don't do this with all their material.

 

[ripdajacker]

The region-specific release paradigm is a weird thing.

It's in fact illegal to download the shows, but if it, in this hypothetical case, has a negative impact on the copyright holder is the real discussion topic.

Is it not better for them to get their content distributed potentially through piracy, when the pirates in question have no other way of paying them?

The simple solution is just to open up for services like Netflix and Spotify to e.g. Europe, but that's only simple in theory. The technical limitations are probably non-existent, and I am quite confident that it's in fact a legal issue.

In most cases you can get an import of the TV shows DVD release or so, and most players, at least those in Europe, are region free. If it's not out yet, then wait for it