Divorced from reality - RPGers & Corporate America

[Piratecat]

Yeah, it probably is. Scale back the politics, please.

 

[Hussar]

Just to add something to the mix here - WotC products aren't the only ones being pirated - Adamant Entertainment has reported previously the availability of their entire catalog in the torrent channels, and I have personally seen torrents of the entire Paizo Pathfinder catalog. Granted, neither of them is the 800 lb gorilla that WotC is, but I would think the impact would be even more profound with Adamant - and they are still in business, and still getting income from PDF sales (I have no data on the level of said income, good or bad).

What about Green Ronin, Mongoose, White Wolf? I'm pretty sure they've got pdf products being pirated as well. Why have none of these other companies taken drastic actions to combat this menace?

Interesting question, no?

There's any number of reasons for this.

1. These companies lack the resources to hire a good enough legal staff to prosecute an international pirating case.

2. These companies feel that the return on their investment in prosecuting such a case is not worth it. Piracy is the price of doing business.

That's two reasons off the top of my head. That companies X, Y and Z are not choosing to exercise their rights is not a good enough reason for A to also not do so.

Look, we all know this isn't going to stop piracy. We know that. Anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming and completely ignoring the last ten or years of the issue. BUT, and this is the big one, that still doesn't mean that it's a bad idea to take a stand.

People keep going on and on about how they can no longer buy pdf's. But, do you honestly think this is a permanent thing? Do you honestly believe that WOTC will never again offer pdf's or some form of downloadable content? Be realistic here. WOTC has tied its wagon to online supported gaming. To think they are just going to close up shop and never come back is a bit premature dontcha think?