Why DON'T you pirate?

amysrevenge · Apr 7, 2009

Like most of the others, Ethics.

However, I have no qualms at all about getting my grubby little hands on PDFs for which I own the actual book. Hypocrisy, double-standard, call it what you will.

DaveMage · Apr 7, 2009

Ethics.

"Do unto others..." and all that.

unan oranis · Apr 7, 2009

Number 1 and 2 are the reasons I dont pirate, and the reasons I do pirate.

#1 Moral:

When I purchase an item I could have easily pirated, its for the same reason I pay for a candy bar I could have easily pocketed.

Just seems juvenile and mildly pathetic to not pay; but not super immoral.

I think the merrits/faults of "pirating" are relative to the person, product and condition of the relevant industry.

Technically, ghandi was "pirating" salt from his own countries sea-side, and with it created a campaign bent on dissolving a monopoly who's imposition was harming national wealth and culture.

Not far off the mark as an analagy to the state of the music industry today.

#2 Quality

Very much a motivater to generate my legitimate purchases; sadly this is a surprise to some producers.

I never purchase an inferior product if the pirated version is substantially better, especially in cases where some defect has been passed on to me on purpose to lower costs.

Between unplayable games and movies with advertising campaigns that cant be skipped, the consumer has been told to "sit on it and spin" when upset about the quality of the product they purchased.

Having to send a package to a manufacturer, go to a store and haggle with a customer service rep, stay on hold for forty minutes on the phone are all BRUTAL hidden costs that are very much "pirating" what little time on this earth you have.

For all the whinging about piracy ripping off the producer; only a fool would accept a double standard foisted upon them backed only by postured authority.

Nymrohd · Apr 7, 2009

Main reason for me is, I can spare the money to buy the product. Maybe because it is illegal but not out of any sense of ethics, I just have a slight OCD issue with upholding the law. I'd probably pirate something if it was not available any other way and I really wanted to have it, though I haven't done so concerning books till now.
And I think the most effective deterrent to piracy is what you linked as convinience, that is you can probably get it cheap and in better condition than if you pirated it.

Oldtimer · Apr 7, 2009

Let me go through the reasons and agree or disagree with them:

1. Ethics.

No, not at all. There is nothing un-ethical about copying information. Some people like to equate downloading to theft to be able to play the ethics card, but the fact is that it's not theft, neither legally nor morally. Comparing it to theft (or killing kittens) is just ignorant and stupid.

2. Quality.

Agree. For books I enjoy the physical copy and for movies I like the quality. Quality is always worth paying for.

3. Fear.

Please... I might as well be afraid that the sky will fall.

4. Availability.

Agree. It goes well with #8. Why spend hours hunting for a PDF, if I can buy it for $5 (or even $10) on RpgNow?

5. Goodwill.

Agree. I enjoy giving people money for job well done. I can donate to an artist if I like his music, but I don't want to give his record company my money.

6. It is illegal.

Disagree vehemently. Following a law just be it's a law is frightening. I can hear the "ve vere only obeying orders" argument every time I hear that.

7. Hipocracy/identification with the producer of the product.

I do create stuff - both written material and software - I have no problem with people liking my stuff. What do they say about imitation and flattery...?

8. Convenience.

Agree completely. My time is valuable. I want to find and acquire the things I need quickly. Convenience wins the day for me.

9. Pennies to the Dollar.

Agree. I can afford it as long as it's reasonably priced.

I see a lot of people playing the theft card and talking about the creators right to his work. Amazing, the WIPO propaganda has worked wonders in some heads.

Dan23 · Apr 7, 2009

I buy actual books for two main reasons: usability during the game and readability. I like to have a physical copy of a book I use when actually gaming. I prefer to minimize the use of computers during game sessions (the DM might use one if the adventure is on there). I also can read a physical book much longer than I can stare at a PDF.

Betote · Apr 7, 2009

If somebody creates something I enjoy, and I can afford it, I like supporting them.

It's not an ethics issue for me, because I'm more on the side of "free culture for everyone". I'm an author myself, and I offer my content for free with the option of "tipping" if somebody likes what they read. If they tip, that's ok. If they don't, I just assume they didn't think it was worth their money, and I'm ok with that, too.

Nightchilde-2 · Apr 7, 2009

Oldtimer said:
No, not at all. There is nothing un-ethical about copying information. Some people like to equate downloading to theft to be able to play the ethics card, but the fact is that it's not theft, neither legally nor morally. Comparing it to theft (or killing kittens) is just ignorant and stupid.

Whether it's theft or "just" copyright violation, it's still wrong. Either way, you are receiving something that is being sold for no money.

Disagree vehemently. Following a law just be it's a law is frightening. I can hear the "ve vere only obeying orders" argument every time I hear that.

Can I call Godwin's Law on this?

Daniel D. Fox · Apr 7, 2009

I'm a published writer and I pirate. Furthermore, I feel that pirating allows consumers to make informed buying decisions about authored products.

Whereas I can peruse any book I want whenever I am at Border's, I do the same for new releases online if they're not available in stores. If I don't like it, I don't use it and I don't buy it.

Ultimately, people who outright steal books without intention of paying for the physical book are a distinct minority and account for a very slim portion of lost sales. I daresay that piracy potentially reaches consumers who'd never chance to purchase the product outright without previewing the material beforehand.

Oldtimer · Apr 7, 2009

Nightchilde-2 said:
Whether it's theft or "just" copyright violation, it's still wrong. Either way, you are receiving something that is being sold for no money.

No, I'm not receiving something that is being sold. I'm receiving something that is being given - a copy. Someone else somewhere might have been trying to sell a similar copy, or not, but the copy I received was given, not sold. Big difference from theft. Actually, no similarity at all.

Can I call Godwin's Law on this?

If you must, but I thought I was skirting the perimeter.

Actually, Godwin's Law would require me to compare something to nazism or nazis, right?. I was merely pointing out that blindly obeying laws is not always an acceptable behaviour. Once we can agree on that, everything else is just a matter of degrees.