The film DS watched at his mates last night....

[MrsPiddlewink]

...isn't out on DVD yet. Any other way they could have watched it without it being pirated?! DS is 8 so is probably none the wiser, but I'm a bit . Or is this standard? Would it be over the top to mention it?

Home taping is killing music

So you honestly believe that Ribert Downey Jnr. goes to pick up his paycheque for "Iron Man 3" and the movie company says "Sorry, we can't pay you. Too much piracy."? Or the costume designer or electrician for that matter. How do you imagine the movie industry works?

Ok, so yes people do actually get paid for the film they make but people can get paid in one of two ways. One - they take a share of the profits, two - they take a wage there and then. Take Star Wars for example: most of the cast were new actors so they needed the money so they took a wage there and then. The more established actors who could afford to take a risk decided on a profit share and therefore ended up earning much more as no one knew how big a hit the film would be. If someone has chosen the profit share option and you don't bother to pay for the film then you are stopping them getting paid.

As for it not being a problem at the cinema because loads of people still go. Why do you think the tickets cost so damn much these days?

How ever you want to justify it there is no escaping that illegally downloading is illegal and morally wrong.
That said I think a mum sending a text to complain is daft. If you feel strongly about it then tut under your breath at home.

All together now "Internet killed the video star"

So the vast amount of people admitting to finding ways of watching pirated material is having no effect whatsoever?

Are these apps safe to use or do they put a load of spyware on your device?

So the vast amount of people admitting to finding ways of watching pirated material is having no effect whatsoever?

I'm no economist, but the actual thing is that the costs of recording and distribution have fallen dramatically. Of course consumers are unwilling to pay the overinflated prices for something that costs next to nothing.
Businesses have to adapt to the market -- that's why we now have iTunes, collectors' edition dvds and other stuff.

Also people who are big downloaders tend to also be the big spenders on media. Honestly the film industry as a whole does better out of big consumers - often these people do a bit of downloading, a bit of cinema visiting, maybe attend a convention, they chat about stuff online and create a buzz. I (I work in this field) would rather there were lots of these types of people than people who wait religiously for the season to air on uk TV and/or eventually buy the latest Disney from Tesco.

I don't download things as I'm a lawyer and it would be career ending but things are really not as simple as some people are making out.

Exactly splendide, everyone I know who does this is really, really into films and watch their favourites at the cinema first.

It's nice to see that watching pirated stuff is in the film industries best interests. . I hadn't realised it was such a selfless act. I'm actually feeling a it guilty that don't do it now ...

...as I said earlier it is the people who try to justify this stuff that I find a bit much. Watch pirated stuff if you want but don't pretend it's for any other reason that you don't want to pay for it or that you can't, possibly, wait until it comes out.

I guess it's more understandable if someone downloads something because it literally isn't available in their country. Say a TV series from their home country or something similar.

Don't confuse film makers with distributors. Because its the distributors who decide on price and availability of stuff.

Of course there still is a moral issue with not paying something towards the making of it.

Most of the claims about it being evil and destroying the industry and the foundations of society tend to be wildly overstated. The one about it funding drug dealers is my favourite. That's partly why the movie industry gets little sympathy. Not to mention the illegal/immoral methods that were used to track and intimidate file sharers. Deliberately making films about gay sex available for download because they figured the people they caught would pay up rather then have their tastes revealed.

Anyway start with a list of all downloaders.

If you had a way to read minds you could dismiss all those who couldn't afford it otherwise since they make no difference to the industry. Include those who would never have paid for that particular film. What happens if you are getting them for nothing is that you try out something that is probably rubbish. No way would you have bought a DVD of that otherwise.

You could arrest those who make huge profits by selling fake dvds because that is quite different.

Knock off those who watch things that are unavailable otherwise. In the case of TV shows that's a lot of people.

Knock off those who are using it as an alternative to recording from the TV. I could get most of what I watch if I recorded all the TV channels 24/7 in case later I fancied watching something that had been and gone.

What you'd have left would be those who stream and those who download films/tv that they would have paid for otherwise. A much smaller list as really well off people wouldn't go to the trouble of downloading at all.

We have seen that streaming is legal for the person receiving it so not sure which list you'd put them on.

So now you have a much smaller list.

Of course there still is a moral issue with not paying something towards the making of it.

You end-up paying anyway, even if you watch it without purchasing. You pay for internet service, you pay for every blank cd/dvd/usb drive, you pay for any recording device you buy -- because manufacturers and providers do pay a copyright related tax. Even libraries pay some sort of copyright tax.
So moral issue is very vague -- is it immoral to go to library?

I remember them talking about bringing in such a tax on blank tapes a long time and I think they did in the end, but can't be sure. Some countries add a tax to blank cds, but I can't seem to find out if that includes the UK.

If it does then yes that makes it fuzzier. Most people fined for something they hadn't done might be tempted to go and do it.

I might be wrong but i think its an EU regulation. Each country's laws regarding copyright might be different.
However, i don't buy into whole "morality" issue. Things just don't add up.

I can't believe that so many people, apparently, are comfortable with something that's basically stealing. Thank goodness I seem to have more honest friends.

its not stealing if its still there for someone else to use/see

Well I don't think it's very wrong or I wouldn't be downloading, but I acknowledge that there is a moral issue in there. Just not the huge issue that the RIAA etc would like us to believe.

Personally what I'd like is a huge database of everything ever made. I'd like to pay a reasonable monthly to be able to download anything I want.

thank goodness I seem to have more honest friends.

Statistically it's unlikely that none of your friends download or stream. Maybe they just don't mention it to you because they know you wouldn't like it.

One of the issues, at least for me, is that stealing provides a better consumer experience than the ones the content owners want to provide. I download a movie and I can watch it a touch of a button in any room in my house.

If I try that with a DVD - no, I have to have hundreds of boxes and discs everywhere - sorry don't need the clutter. And the itunes/amazon stuff is copy protected so you pay as much for the DVD but you don't really own it, and you can't trust them that it will still work in a few year's time.

Of course it's stealing! You're stealing the income/revenue that the owners are entitled from it.

There is no income though, that's the point!

Even a library book that is borrowed earns an income for the royalty owner.

There is income from these things, even if you can't see it!

So if you stream from an unauthorised place, it's akin to stealing!

But books borrowed from your friend don't earn any income.

It's illegal to copy movies but it's not theft.

No, neither do second hand copies. But that is permitted within the law.

Ok, it's not 'theft' in the legal sense of the term. But it's 'theft' in the moral sense of the word.

Think every jurisdiction has slightly different terms for it, depending on the actual action. Those who make copies, those who view it illegally, etc, are all guilty of slightly different crimes.

But don't kid yourself that it's not an offence, it is.

Even a library book that is borrowed earns an income for the royalty owner.
Yes, in a form of taxes that everybody pays (if it is a public library). So does internet/tv.
I did a course at university about technology ethics. This "morality" thing is completely fabricated by corporations. Because legally it is very difficult to regulate, enforce, and keep up with technology. Plus internet knows no borders. It is not illegal to open an American, Russian, or Chinese website.
But you better imagine you deprive your favorite star of a new ferrari.