5 ms·

Why make piracy inconvenient ? Why not make legal purchases more convenient instead ?

by b0rsuk 14y ago

batista 14y ago
I'm not against that, of course. But if both are equally convenient, then the zero cost (piracy) will probably win. So the big media also have to make piracy inconvenient. Changing their methods to be more convenient also take huge amounts of money and time. One example: worldwide, simultaneous distribution of a movie, probably needs tons of contracts with resellers, local networks, etc renegotiated. Plus changes in accounting, etc -- whereas fighting piracy just takes some lobbying money, a few crappy DRM add-ons, and lame FBI warning videos...
- batista 14y ago
  Plus: piracy will always be more convenient, because even with everything else being exactly the same, you have the paying step at the end in commercial site, whereas you just download away on the piracy site.
  - guard-of-terra 14y ago
    It is not true, Apple proved otherwise.
    - batista 14y ago
      Apple proved what exactly? That's far from equal. I din't dispute that music purchases can be made EASY. Or that current piracy methods are or can be hard. What I said is --and it's mere logic, it cannot be disproven--, that piracy will always have the option to be ONE STEP EASIER, i.e omit the paying step. People say that you don't have to fight piracy, just make buying easier. And I say that if you don't fight piracy and just let it be, then at best you get, say: a) a piracy service b) a commercial service Since we "don't fight piracy", nothing prevents the piracy service to offer whatever the commercial service does, from streaming to high quality lose-less files, to a great UI, to being totally free and even without ads. But the commercial service must always have the buying step (enter credit card details etc), plus all the legal and logistical necessities.
      - guard-of-terra 14y ago
        They can offer better service because they a) have incentive to do so (pirates - not really, good enough works for them), and b) they can haz cooperation from the makers of the content.
huggyface 14y ago
Why make piracy inconvenient Anything that slows down the reward. Anything that adds uncertainty (trojans, viruses -- I honestly believe that those who pirate executables are generally imbeciles, though it's humorous hearing them try to cast their desperate hopes with realities -- the possibility of a lawsuit appearing). Why not make legal purchases more convenient instead ? Like Steam? Origin? iTunes? Amazon? It isn't an either situation, and never has been.
- manuelflara 14y ago
  http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones
  - huggyface 14y ago
    I'm well aware of that example of extraordinary entitlement (I pay for HBO and streamed both seasons to today legally and with immediate gratification. Justifiers always need to add layers to their excuses though). Further it's a convenient argument that many pirates use when the situation merits it -- how many of those people demanding easy purchases of DRM free music on Slashdot back in the day actually gave up on pirating once it was readily available? Instead they found the next argument to justify theft.
    - guard-of-terra 14y ago
      "how many of those people demanding easy purchases of DRM free music on Slashdot back in the day actually gave up on pirating once it was readily available?" Numbers say, a lot of them did. Paid digital downloads are growing and legal video streaming rivals bittorrent. Can you prove that somebody who demanded drm-free mp3s later found the next argument? Do you have some kind of examples, some kind of proof, or are you behaving the same way your opponents do: never quit bitching as your wishes getting fulfilled one by one?
      - huggyface 14y ago
        Numbers say, a lot of them did. Numbers say the exact opposite: Digital sales have barely touched lost physical media sales. Lots of people who previously purchased their music of course buy it digitally now, no surprise there. It is the robustness of the argument that demonstrates the legitimacy of the argument. Most pro-piracy spiels are tissue-thin, and only go undemolished because so many others like the comforting notion that what they're doing is somehow good. You see that sort of invented reality even on sites like HN because piracy discussions have a unhealthy draw for those who rely upon easy piracy (this particular topic has no interest for most readers, but for people who rely upon torrents it is a very crucial topic for them to try to spin a reality in)

Why make piracy inconvenient ? Why not make legal purchases more convenient instead ?

by b0rsuk 14y ago

Why make piracy inconvenient ? Why not make legal purchases more convenient instead ?

I'm not against that, of course. But if both are equally convenient, then the zero cost (piracy) will probably win. So the big media also have to make piracy inconvenient. Changing their methods to be more convenient also take huge amounts of money and time. One example: worldwide, simultaneous distribution of a movie, probably needs tons of contracts with resellers, local networks, etc renegotiated. Plus changes in accounting, etc -- whereas fighting piracy just takes some lobbying money, a few crappy DRM add-ons, and lame FBI warning videos...

batista 14y ago
Plus: piracy will always be more convenient, because even with everything else being exactly the same, you have the paying step at the end in commercial site, whereas you just download away on the piracy site.
- guard-of-terra 14y ago
  It is not true, Apple proved otherwise.
  - batista 14y ago
    Apple proved what exactly? That's far from equal. I din't dispute that music purchases can be made EASY. Or that current piracy methods are or can be hard. What I said is --and it's mere logic, it cannot be disproven--, that piracy will always have the option to be ONE STEP EASIER, i.e omit the paying step. People say that you don't have to fight piracy, just make buying easier. And I say that if you don't fight piracy and just let it be, then at best you get, say: a) a piracy service b) a commercial service Since we "don't fight piracy", nothing prevents the piracy service to offer whatever the commercial service does, from streaming to high quality lose-less files, to a great UI, to being totally free and even without ads. But the commercial service must always have the buying step (enter credit card details etc), plus all the legal and logistical necessities.
    - guard-of-terra 14y ago
      They can offer better service because they a) have incentive to do so (pirates - not really, good enough works for them), and b) they can haz cooperation from the makers of the content.

huggyface 14y ago

Why make piracy inconvenient Anything that slows down the reward. Anything that adds uncertainty (trojans, viruses -- I honestly believe that those who pirate executables are generally imbeciles, though it's humorous hearing them try to cast their desperate hopes with realities -- the possibility of a lawsuit appearing). Why not make legal purchases more convenient instead ? Like Steam? Origin? iTunes? Amazon? It isn't an either situation, and never has been.

manuelflara 14y ago
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones
- huggyface 14y ago
  I'm well aware of that example of extraordinary entitlement (I pay for HBO and streamed both seasons to today legally and with immediate gratification. Justifiers always need to add layers to their excuses though). Further it's a convenient argument that many pirates use when the situation merits it -- how many of those people demanding easy purchases of DRM free music on Slashdot back in the day actually gave up on pirating once it was readily available? Instead they found the next argument to justify theft.
  - guard-of-terra 14y ago
    "how many of those people demanding easy purchases of DRM free music on Slashdot back in the day actually gave up on pirating once it was readily available?" Numbers say, a lot of them did. Paid digital downloads are growing and legal video streaming rivals bittorrent. Can you prove that somebody who demanded drm-free mp3s later found the next argument? Do you have some kind of examples, some kind of proof, or are you behaving the same way your opponents do: never quit bitching as your wishes getting fulfilled one by one?
    - huggyface 14y ago
      Numbers say, a lot of them did. Numbers say the exact opposite: Digital sales have barely touched lost physical media sales. Lots of people who previously purchased their music of course buy it digitally now, no surprise there. It is the robustness of the argument that demonstrates the legitimacy of the argument. Most pro-piracy spiels are tissue-thin, and only go undemolished because so many others like the comforting notion that what they're doing is somehow good. You see that sort of invented reality even on sites like HN because piracy discussions have a unhealthy draw for those who rely upon easy piracy (this particular topic has no interest for most readers, but for people who rely upon torrents it is a very crucial topic for them to try to spin a reality in)