Illegal file sharing on the Internet, what should we do?

[SiD the Turtle]

I wonder, for TV at least, if things such as the iPlayer or Sky Anytime are the future, or perhaps a set subscription fee that gives you access to all the shows you want to watch. Existing TV is constrained by scheduling and advertisements. I personally would prefer to pay a fee (similar to the fee you pay for Sky HD perhaps?) to give me the right to ad-uninterupted access to TV shows any time I want them. It would definitely discourage me from downloading a pirated copy.


On another note one interesting thing I've noticed is that US shows now often come out here days after their première in the States, rather than months. I wonder if piracy is the cause of this change in policy?

 

[arknor]

Piracy has been happening since the amiga days, thats a hell of a long time for a non sustainable system.

People will find a way to share things.

I don't know what the answer is to stop it, and doubt they will ever find one, short of arresting everyone who downloads anything.

piracy was happened way before that some of the groups that release pc games were around in the spectrum/c64 days.

who didnt copy a friends music cassette tape? record a friends CD to a cassette tape? borrow a video, dvd , bluray movie , game etc from a friend?

all loss of sales and as good as piracy in the companies eyes.

why is borrowing a dvd from a friend seen as better than downloading it from the internet? your still watching it for free instead of buying it

 

[Kemik]

The price of music has been too high for too long. I've moved from not buying music to buying high quality, DRM-free mp3's from the better retailers (not iTunes) because they have a reasonable price.

When movies come out on DVD I'll buy them if I enjoyed them at the cinema. If I haven't seen the film I'll download it and buy it if I like it. I have no problem with downloading to test out a product before you buy but I think too many people use this as an excuse and don't buy even if they like it.

In terms of games, I always buy them but checkout reviews first. I'm willing to pay the £35 for console games and more than willing to pay the £30 charged for PC games because of the sheer amount of time I spend using them. I'd pay £60 for most Valve games tbh.

 

[pingwing]

Piracy has been happening since the invention of the boat...

Fixed

Anyway, it happens, most people have dont it for numerous reasons. I for one remember the days of having no money so the best way to hear more music is off the internet (now iv started to buy cds again after getting annoyed at poor quality and havning money but thats a sub point). But there always will be a form of piracy as long as theres people trying to make money out of everything.

Best solution, make everything free....

 

[matt_fsr]

Bandwidth costs I assume, there's no way that the movie/tv industry would openly embrace P2P even if it did save costs.

Clearly they won't now they've spent £x billion bringing lawsuits against P2P and making everyone think that "Downloading is a crime" - as their stupid warnings go on the front of my legit DVD's Makes my blood boil.

The problem is that downloading is NOT a crime, downloading WITHOUT PAYING is. If i download off iTunes, its legal. If i bittorrent the same thing, its not legal. The only difference is who gets paid.

The music and film industry has missed out on the greatest distribution method that there ever has been, for the want of a few P2P servers and a bit of bandwidth - and a bit of sense when selling/renting films.

There always has been piracy and always will be - but I'd quite happily pay £3-4 for a slightly older film, legit download, and known to be of good quality from a proper authorised outlet. It's 2009 and there isnt one. Back in 2002 this was feasible... just who in the music/film biz is quite THAT stupid!!!

 

[Deleted member 651465]

There is no way to stop piracy, only a means to reduce / deter it.

Users want the music, so they'll go through the easiest channels to get it. If they have to buy it, strip it of DRM and go through hoops, they will just think "ah bugger it" and download it for free somewhere else. Convenience.

It is not restricted to music/record companies. Game publishers are being run by old men who are too concerned about declining / reduced sales to think of an alternative to "lock it down" too.

The best example of this was the top 10 pirate games of 2008.. almost all games in the top 10 were there because they had been stripped of their crippling DRM and uploaded; providing a better experience than the legal copy in almost all cases. i.e. Spore

I don't condone piracy, and fully believe that artists deserve the money that goes in to producing the content. Sadly, I believe that the record companies (in their current state) are doing them more harm than good by adopting this draconium mindset.

 

[NeilF]

Many people download TV series to watch... This must be affecting the main income? Advertising during the program?

 

[Wyrdo]

Many people download TV series to watch... This must be affecting the main income? Advertising during the program?

What about people who record from the TV and just skip the adverts? Same difference.

 

[SiD the Turtle]

What about people who record from the TV and just skip the adverts? Same difference.

This is what I do, Sky+ a programme and then sit down at quarter past to watch it.

 

[Radiation]

The problem is their ideas need to change to reflect reality and what's right, they shouldn't expect maximum profits on information, the fact they miss is that a large percentage of people may only get something because its free and would have never bought it at full price or even half what they expect, as long as they make a reasonable profit thats fine, just don't expect massive profits or everlasting profits from information, if they want bigger profits they need to produce higher quality and sell it at a reasonable price, when they realise this they will make more money and be respected for it.

 

[scaramanga182]

What about people who record from the TV and just skip the adverts? Same difference.

I wondered about this as well, there's nothing stopping you recording a series from Sky on a Sky+/V+ box, effectively meaning you'll never have to buy the series on DVD/Blu-ray. How is this not also classed as piracy?

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I wondered about this as well, there's nothing stopping you recording a series from Sky on a Sky+/V+ box, effectively meaning you'll never have to buy the series on DVD/Blu-ray. How is this not also classed as piracy?

One other major consequence of the Betamax technology's introduction to the U.S. was the lawsuit Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios (1984, the "Betamax case"), with the U.S. Supreme Court determining home videotaping to be legal in the United States, wherein home videotape cassette recorders were a legal technology since they had substantial non-infringing uses. This precedent was later invoked in MGM v. Grokster (2005), where the high court agreed that the same "substantial non-infringing uses" standard applies to authors and vendors of peer-to-peer file sharing software (notably excepting those who "actively induce" copyright infringement through "purposeful, culpable expression and conduct").

 

[NeilF]

This is what I do, Sky+ a programme and then sit down at quarter past to watch it.

You have to x30 thru adverts at least... Downloaded stuff, there isn't even any adverts...

 

[Matteysan]

I wondered about this as well, there's nothing stopping you recording a series from Sky on a Sky+/V+ box, effectively meaning you'll never have to buy the series on DVD/Blu-ray. How is this not also classed as piracy?

Because you are already paying a subscription to sky/v for the use of these boxes, Now you could come to the argument that you are paying for your Internet & that is basically the same thing. But in the eyes of the industry it isn't the same.

The whole logic is flawed in many ways & this will keep going round & round in circles for years to come.

What I don't agree with is labels still selling music of artists that are dead, the money isn't going back to the artist instead it is making the fat cats more rich.

There needs to be more incentive for purchasing such things, Such as a track from itunes is not the same as a track on the CD quality is lost. So in that respect you are not getting the actual product that is on CD but near enough still paying the same amount for it. That is wrong in my opinion.

 

[Simmz]

Little bit off topic, but I know people who pirate movies just for the plain and simple reasons that cinema prices are too high, and you always get some annoying little ***** who talk the whole way through it and ruin the movie.

I went to see the new Brad Pitt film at the weekend with the mrs, and we had 3 little idiots who just wouldn't shut up. I asked them politely I then got someone from the cinema to try remove them but sod all happened. Everyone got frustrated and some people even walked out. Speaking with other people it seems this happens more and more, and for that reason i'd happily pirate a movie to eliminate the above.

 

[Visionary]

Because you are already paying a subscription to sky/v for the use of these boxes, Now you could come to the argument that you are paying for your Internet & that is basically the same thing. But in the eyes of the industry it isn't the same.

That's not why its legal. It's legal because of the time shifting principle i.e. you can watch TV programs when it is more convenient. So it isn't actually illegal to download TV shows after they have aired.

 

[DominicStar]

I think it depends on the format but is generally wrong.

Going back 4-5 years in the vinyl days, the only format most electronic music was available was either on vinyl at c.£4.50 - £6.50 a single which required quite a pricey setup and for most people this had to be bought online from barely audible samples.

Much electronic music was and still is in the public domain but had never even made it as far as white lable and it wasn't always possible to tell if you were downloading legally or not. I bought a lot of vinyl from downloads I made back in those days.

There is a large selection of electronic music available to legally download now, pretty much anything audible, good or not seems to be available and the e-tailers put up good quality samples and the download prices are very reasonable. There really is no excuse excuse anymore.

I think it's unfair to say that CDs are disproportionately expensive when the same could be said for virtually any product under the same argument.

I agree there. But in the UK there is the particular problem of being charged more for the same product. The EU had to intervene against iTunes for example for ripping off UK customers. Region 1 DVD's were all the rage at first because we could order DVDs from the US at a little more than half the price.

 

[Matteysan]

That's not why its legal. It's legal because of the time shifting principle i.e. you can watch TV programs when it is more convenient. So it isn't actually illegal to download TV shows after they have aired.

But apparently it is illegal to download them Even after they have aired should I add.

That is why this whole thing is such a mess

 

[Tripnologist]

whoactually wants to watche a dogdy screen cam version of a film ,when yo can goto the cinema

To be fair, most films are released in America months before the UK. This usually means that there is a DVD quality copy available for download before the film is even in cinemas here.

 

[matt_fsr]

Illegal file sharing on the Internet, what should we do?

Fire up our torrent clients and help out?





[/jk]