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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1548921" data-attributes="member: 143">I had a nice long post here this morning but the board slowdown ate it. The gist is that I agree with The Sigil and woodelf.&nbsp; I think that people obey laws for two reasons:a) fear of punishmentb) belief that the law is just/necessary/useful/whatever. There's also a &quot;c&quot;, but I didn't list it because I think it's linked to Motivation B.&nbsp; That's obedience because you were socialized to do so. While some posters have focused on either A or B, I think that most people fall somewhere on a line graph between the two.&nbsp; Also, I think that your place on that graph isn't absolute; you can be moved along the continuum by developments in the world around you, your experiences, and your perceptions.I think that the crackdown of the RIAA (to use on widely publicized example most of us are probably familiar with) on filesharers has been counterproductive because while it appeals to Motivation A, at the same time it undermines Motivation B.&nbsp; The RPG industry is a good counterexample; I think piracy is less of a problem in this sector because its consumers have a stronger belief that the producers of content are entitled to their profits, and the perception is that the actual producers (as opposed to &quot;greedy, faceless corporations&quot;) get a larger share of the consumer dollar.&nbsp; I'm not saying this perception is true, nor am I saying that those who infringe copyright by file trading are justified in their behavior; my comments focus more on what's happening than the abstract ethical aspect of it (which I've discussed earlier in this thread). History has shown that fear of punishment alone is not sufficient to deter behavior.&nbsp; As it becomes easier to break the law and get away with it, Motivation B becomes increasingly important.&nbsp; As Sigil noted, however, I think that the producers have lost that battle, at least for the current generation.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1548921, member: 143"] I had a nice long post here this morning but the board slowdown ate it. The gist is that I agree with The Sigil and woodelf. I think that people obey laws for two reasons: a) fear of punishment b) belief that the law is just/necessary/useful/whatever. There's also a "c", but I didn't list it because I think it's linked to Motivation B. That's obedience because you were socialized to do so. While some posters have focused on either A or B, I think that most people fall somewhere on a line graph between the two. Also, I think that your place on that graph isn't absolute; you can be moved along the continuum by developments in the world around you, your experiences, and your perceptions. I think that the crackdown of the RIAA (to use on widely publicized example most of us are probably familiar with) on filesharers has been counterproductive because while it appeals to Motivation A, at the same time it undermines Motivation B. The RPG industry is a good counterexample; I think piracy is less of a problem in this sector because its consumers have a stronger belief that the producers of content are entitled to their profits, and the perception is that the [i]actual[/i] producers (as opposed to "greedy, faceless corporations") get a larger share of the consumer dollar. I'm not saying this perception is true, nor am I saying that those who infringe copyright by file trading are justified in their behavior; my comments focus more on what's happening than the abstract ethical aspect of it (which I've discussed earlier in this thread). History has shown that fear of punishment alone is not sufficient to deter behavior. As it becomes easier to break the law and get away with it, Motivation B becomes increasingly important. As Sigil noted, however, I think that the producers have lost that battle, at least for the current generation. [/QUOTE]

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