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Your sarcastic comment implies there is no pirate whose imprisonment would add value to society. Some groups pirate for profit. Is that still ok in your view?

Your sarcastic comment implies there is no pirate whose imprisonment would add value to society. Some groups pirate for profit. Is that still ok in your view? Some groups use the profits to fund terrorist and drug activity. Is that ok? Some use it along with human smuggling, racketeering, loan-sharking, prostitution, contract killing, and more (see [1]). Are these ok? So is it possible there exists a pirate whose jail sentence may make the world a better place? ( I know the pop hacker belief is this doesn't happen, but I've yet to meet a hacker that has reviewed the peer reviewed literature on it, so don't retort without checking empirical evidence. I'll post but one paper below). The reason various mob like groups turn to piracy is that pirated products have value and have very often have high profit margins, so piracy becomes a very profitable business. A group willing to do this illegally is often willing to do other high-profit risky and illegal activity. [1] https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9417.html https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9417.html

thefounder 6y ago
I wonder who produced that paper(i.e who sponsored it). How easy and convenient to link pirating to terrorism, don't you think? What's next? pirating and WMD? >> A group willing to do this illegally is often willing to do other high-profit risky and illegal activity. A law abiding citizen is just a docile citizen if he abides by wrong/unjust laws. If you were a jew in Nazi Germany a law abiding citizen would have given you in to the Gestapo while a "pirate" would have taken the risk to give you shelder. A group willing to torrent Game of Thrones is not often willing to do terrorism, you poor little ....! They just want to watch a fucking movie and decide to torrent it because: a) they don't have the money to buy it b) they can't buy it because some stupid executives believe some people should watch it 20 years after it's released in x country. c) they can't watch it on the device they want/when they want because of the excellent DRM laws that you praise and I assume you abide of(i.g their HDMI cable is not version 2.0a it's just 1.4b d) they are humans Before hunting "Game of Thrones" pirates can we please do something about all the big guys such GS [0] that steal billions from poor people, some of them unable to pay for that Game of Thrones movie they pirate? I mean something more than a handshake for returning a part of the money when they get caught. If you want to stop crime you should invest in education and provide opportunities for a decent life. Either way, jailing your neightbour for pirating movies will not make him a better neightbour. Most likely will turn him/her into a real criminal vengeful on the system/society. Btw, good job with Aaron[1]! You've done the "right thing", right? So much justice that makes me sick to my stomach. All this to make the few wealthy and privileged wealthier and the lives of the poors more miserable! When I read your comment your attitude remembered me of a quote from Cloud Atlas[2]: "There is a natural order to this world, and those who try to upend it do not fare well. " [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53529075 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53529075 [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz [2] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lxumQYpBzr0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lxumQYpBzr0
anoncake 6y ago
> Some groups use the profits to fund terrorist and drug activity. Is that ok? Some people use the profits from taxi companies to fund terrorism. Is that ok?
- ChrisLomont 6y ago
  Nope. But it's intellectually dishonest to equate a legal activity tied to breaking the law with illegal activity tied to breaking the law, especially when the illegal activity helps break further laws. People don't go into taxis to make profits by breaking the law. If they did break the law while securing taxi profits, then that becomes prosecutable, and should be pursued. People do pirate material because by breaking that law, they can obtain profits not possible without breaking the law. They also screw over consumers by selling such products on Amazon and elsewhere, and many times when a consumer needs help, or a return, or thinks they have a warranty, the fake goods screw them over. Note nearly every product cloned with a software component is a copyright violation, most anything with a logo is a trademark violation, etc. The OP implied that there is no benefit to ever jailing a pirate. So instead of inaccurate metaphors, do you think there is ever a case to be made for jailing a pirate?
  - anoncake 6y ago
    That's a silly question. Of course I think there are situations where a taxi driver should be jailed. For example, when they commit terrorism. Being a taxi driver does not justify immoral acts. That would be absurd. Illegal acts, however, don't need to be justified. The fact homosexuality was once illegal should be proof enough that doing something illegal is not a sufficient condition for deserving punishment. > They also screw over consumers by selling such products on Amazon and elsewhere, and many times when a consumer needs help, or a return, or thinks they have a warranty, the fake goods screw them over. Note nearly every product cloned with a software component is a copyright violation, most anything with a logo is a trademark violation, etc. Trademark violations may also be called "piracy", but they have about as much to do with copyright violations as copyright violations have to do with theft.
    - 6y ago

thefounder 6y ago

I wonder who produced that paper(i.e who sponsored it). How easy and convenient to link pirating to terrorism, don't you think? What's next? pirating and WMD? >> A group willing to do this illegally is often willing to do other high-profit risky and illegal activity. A law abiding citizen is just a docile citizen if he abides by wrong/unjust laws. If you were a jew in Nazi Germany a law abiding citizen would have given you in to the Gestapo while a "pirate" would have taken the risk to give you shelder. A group willing to torrent Game of Thrones is not often willing to do terrorism, you poor little ....! They just want to watch a fucking movie and decide to torrent it because: a) they don't have the money to buy it b) they can't buy it because some stupid executives believe some people should watch it 20 years after it's released in x country. c) they can't watch it on the device they want/when they want because of the excellent DRM laws that you praise and I assume you abide of(i.g their HDMI cable is not version 2.0a it's just 1.4b d) they are humans Before hunting "Game of Thrones" pirates can we please do something about all the big guys such GS [0] that steal billions from poor people, some of them unable to pay for that Game of Thrones movie they pirate? I mean something more than a handshake for returning a part of the money when they get caught. If you want to stop crime you should invest in education and provide opportunities for a decent life. Either way, jailing your neightbour for pirating movies will not make him a better neightbour. Most likely will turn him/her into a real criminal vengeful on the system/society. Btw, good job with Aaron[1]! You've done the "right thing", right? So much justice that makes me sick to my stomach. All this to make the few wealthy and privileged wealthier and the lives of the poors more miserable! When I read your comment your attitude remembered me of a quote from Cloud Atlas[2]: "There is a natural order to this world, and those who try to upend it do not fare well. " [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53529075 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53529075 [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz [2] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lxumQYpBzr0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lxumQYpBzr0

anoncake 6y ago

> Some groups use the profits to fund terrorist and drug activity. Is that ok? Some people use the profits from taxi companies to fund terrorism. Is that ok?

ChrisLomont 6y ago
Nope. But it's intellectually dishonest to equate a legal activity tied to breaking the law with illegal activity tied to breaking the law, especially when the illegal activity helps break further laws. People don't go into taxis to make profits by breaking the law. If they did break the law while securing taxi profits, then that becomes prosecutable, and should be pursued. People do pirate material because by breaking that law, they can obtain profits not possible without breaking the law. They also screw over consumers by selling such products on Amazon and elsewhere, and many times when a consumer needs help, or a return, or thinks they have a warranty, the fake goods screw them over. Note nearly every product cloned with a software component is a copyright violation, most anything with a logo is a trademark violation, etc. The OP implied that there is no benefit to ever jailing a pirate. So instead of inaccurate metaphors, do you think there is ever a case to be made for jailing a pirate?
- anoncake 6y ago
  That's a silly question. Of course I think there are situations where a taxi driver should be jailed. For example, when they commit terrorism. Being a taxi driver does not justify immoral acts. That would be absurd. Illegal acts, however, don't need to be justified. The fact homosexuality was once illegal should be proof enough that doing something illegal is not a sufficient condition for deserving punishment. > They also screw over consumers by selling such products on Amazon and elsewhere, and many times when a consumer needs help, or a return, or thinks they have a warranty, the fake goods screw them over. Note nearly every product cloned with a software component is a copyright violation, most anything with a logo is a trademark violation, etc. Trademark violations may also be called "piracy", but they have about as much to do with copyright violations as copyright violations have to do with theft.
  - 6y ago