6 ms·

No company scores any points with me by starting out by greeting me as a "pseudo-criminal".

by pkteison 14y ago

elliottcarlson 14y ago
Assuming that this readme is included with torrents of the music being downloaded, then it would be accurate.
- _delirium 14y ago
  If they seeeded the torrents, though (which would seem to be the only way they could actually get this file into a torrent?), wouldn't it be legal, since you're downloading it from the copyright holder, who has given implicit permission by making it publicly available on a torrent?
coderdude 14y ago
'Pirate' though, that one sounds cool so we'll accept it. Seriously? They are implying by that greeting that it is not them who would label you as such a thing. Moreover it sounds like they've had it up to here with the major labels and distribution outlets who would call you an actual criminal and mean it. Also, don't kid yourself. It is a crime (morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law) to download someone else's work for free so that you can enjoy it without paying a dime to anyone (even the artist), unless they're giving it away. You don't even see that page unless you tried to acquire their artists' work for free.
- tomp 14y ago
  > morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law I'd say exactly the oposite. It's illegal (= prohibited by law), but might not be morally wrong - I don't feel bad for downloading movies/music when any of the following are met: (i) the content is not readily available (e.g. movies right after release, movies and music in non-G6 countries) (ii) the content is of shitty quality or atmosphere (e.g. low bitrate, CDs, cinemas) (iii) I would not pay for content (i.e. even if it were readily available in supreme quality, I would rather not have it than buy it) (e.g. albums that I'm not sure are good).
  - coderdude 14y ago
    This is where most people really start to bicker about this issue. There is the group that understands that it is morally wrong to steal, and then there is the group that does mental gymnastics to get out of "feeling bad" about it or to otherwise justify it somehow. You even end it with "I would not pay for content [...]." If that isn't outright just saying "yeah I steal and I don't care" then I don't know what is.
    - tomp 14y ago
      I guess the issue is elsewhere - there is a group of people that think that copying is the same as stealing, and there is the group that can see the difference. I belong to the second group. Let me try to explain it to you... Would you rather that I stole your car, or just copy it?
      - coderdude 14y ago
        That doesn't even make sense. Stealing is stealing regardless of whether it's something physical or something digital. Just because humans invented a new way for things to exist doesn't mean that products in that form aren't being stolen when you acquire them for free by downloading them off the The Pirate Bay.
        tomp 14y ago
        Hm... Even assuming that I agreed with you assertion, you're making a lousy argument. First, you're attacking me/my intellect. Then, you make an assertion without providing even the slightest proof/argument for it (I'm not a native English speaker, but I'd say that the dictionary definition of stealing disagrees with you), and you're ignoring my real argument completely (i.e. that copying is different from depriving someone of a physical item which I just called "stealing"). Lastly, humans didn't just invent a new way for things to exist, humans also invented concepts such as property and intellectual property. The last one is actually quite new! So, stealing is a concept that is completely defined by the society, and I think it's in our best interest to talk about it, discuss how we should define it in the future.
- Symmetry 14y ago
  It is a crime (morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law) to download someone else's work for free Other people have gotten into moral arguments here, and I'll leave them to it, but I should point out that downloading a file is not, legally speaking, a crime. Its not a felony, its not even a misdemeanor. Its just a civil infraction. Just like breaking the speed limit isn't a crime[1]. [1]Well, if you exceed it by 20 mph where I grew up it becomes "criminal speeding", a misdemeanor. EDIT: I wonder if we wouldn't all be better of if we started talking about copyright infringement as "trespass" rather than "theft". You are, legally speaking, trespassing on someone's copyright when you pirate an mp3, and it nicely conveys that people are doing something wrong that isn't as wrong as a felony like stealing.
nicholassmith 14y ago
Actually I think it's a reference to the traditional mainstream accusation that pirates are all these degenerate criminals lurking to steal your laptop to feed their mp3 addiction.
tbundy 14y ago
Yep, pretty sure they're being facetious.
alainbryden 14y ago
The original document was included with a torrent and that greeting was intended to be tongue-in-cheek.
darrenkopp 14y ago
Remember, this isn't a blog post, it's intended as a stop for people who were downloading the album without paying, which is illegal.
mikecane 14y ago
>>>No company scores any points with me by starting out by greeting me as a "pseudo-criminal". The tongue-in-cheek of that didn't register? He wasn't being insulting. He was using the terms the music industry itself uses. And the "pseudo" preceding "criminal" should have been seen as tongue-in-cheek in that context.

No company scores any points with me by starting out by greeting me as a "pseudo-criminal".

elliottcarlson 14y ago

Assuming that this readme is included with torrents of the music being downloaded, then it would be accurate.

_delirium 14y ago
If they seeeded the torrents, though (which would seem to be the only way they could actually get this file into a torrent?), wouldn't it be legal, since you're downloading it from the copyright holder, who has given implicit permission by making it publicly available on a torrent?

coderdude 14y ago

'Pirate' though, that one sounds cool so we'll accept it. Seriously? They are implying by that greeting that it is not them who would label you as such a thing. Moreover it sounds like they've had it up to here with the major labels and distribution outlets who would call you an actual criminal and mean it. Also, don't kid yourself. It is a crime (morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law) to download someone else's work for free so that you can enjoy it without paying a dime to anyone (even the artist), unless they're giving it away. You don't even see that page unless you tried to acquire their artists' work for free.

tomp 14y ago
> morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law I'd say exactly the oposite. It's illegal (= prohibited by law), but might not be morally wrong - I don't feel bad for downloading movies/music when any of the following are met: (i) the content is not readily available (e.g. movies right after release, movies and music in non-G6 countries) (ii) the content is of shitty quality or atmosphere (e.g. low bitrate, CDs, cinemas) (iii) I would not pay for content (i.e. even if it were readily available in supreme quality, I would rather not have it than buy it) (e.g. albums that I'm not sure are good).
- coderdude 14y ago
  This is where most people really start to bicker about this issue. There is the group that understands that it is morally wrong to steal, and then there is the group that does mental gymnastics to get out of "feeling bad" about it or to otherwise justify it somehow. You even end it with "I would not pay for content [...]." If that isn't outright just saying "yeah I steal and I don't care" then I don't know what is.
  - tomp 14y ago
    I guess the issue is elsewhere - there is a group of people that think that copying is the same as stealing, and there is the group that can see the difference. I belong to the second group. Let me try to explain it to you... Would you rather that I stole your car, or just copy it?
    - coderdude 14y ago
      That doesn't even make sense. Stealing is stealing regardless of whether it's something physical or something digital. Just because humans invented a new way for things to exist doesn't mean that products in that form aren't being stolen when you acquire them for free by downloading them off the The Pirate Bay.
      - tomp 14y ago
        Hm... Even assuming that I agreed with you assertion, you're making a lousy argument. First, you're attacking me/my intellect. Then, you make an assertion without providing even the slightest proof/argument for it (I'm not a native English speaker, but I'd say that the dictionary definition of stealing disagrees with you), and you're ignoring my real argument completely (i.e. that copying is different from depriving someone of a physical item which I just called "stealing"). Lastly, humans didn't just invent a new way for things to exist, humans also invented concepts such as property and intellectual property. The last one is actually quite new! So, stealing is a concept that is completely defined by the society, and I think it's in our best interest to talk about it, discuss how we should define it in the future.
Symmetry 14y ago
It is a crime (morally wrong, if not outright encoded in law) to download someone else's work for free Other people have gotten into moral arguments here, and I'll leave them to it, but I should point out that downloading a file is not, legally speaking, a crime. Its not a felony, its not even a misdemeanor. Its just a civil infraction. Just like breaking the speed limit isn't a crime[1]. [1]Well, if you exceed it by 20 mph where I grew up it becomes "criminal speeding", a misdemeanor. EDIT: I wonder if we wouldn't all be better of if we started talking about copyright infringement as "trespass" rather than "theft". You are, legally speaking, trespassing on someone's copyright when you pirate an mp3, and it nicely conveys that people are doing something wrong that isn't as wrong as a felony like stealing.

nicholassmith 14y ago

Actually I think it's a reference to the traditional mainstream accusation that pirates are all these degenerate criminals lurking to steal your laptop to feed their mp3 addiction.

tbundy 14y ago

Yep, pretty sure they're being facetious.

alainbryden 14y ago

The original document was included with a torrent and that greeting was intended to be tongue-in-cheek.

darrenkopp 14y ago

Remember, this isn't a blog post, it's intended as a stop for people who were downloading the album without paying, which is illegal.

mikecane 14y ago

>>>No company scores any points with me by starting out by greeting me as a "pseudo-criminal". The tongue-in-cheek of that didn't register? He wasn't being insulting. He was using the terms the music industry itself uses. And the "pseudo" preceding "criminal" should have been seen as tongue-in-cheek in that context.