Morpheus and DnD

[EricNoah]

There's no doubt in my mind that the producers of media will end up having to change their model of production and distribution given the realities of file "sharing" programs in the electronic age.

What I haven't seen yet is a good defense of the person who provides the source of the download in the first place. Say all you want about "trying stuff out before you buy it" -- it's the person who provided the copy that has me more worried. Correct me if I am wrong, but when you install a program like Morpheus don't you select a folder from which to "share"? And don't you deliberately have to put stuff in that folder in order to "share" it? If you're the one providing the copy, you have no idea if the people taking copies are intending just to "preview" or intending to keep and further distribute. Kind of baffles me why a person would think they were authorized to do that.

Ultimately this thread makes me just a little bit sad. It bothers me to think that if I were to get into d20 publishing, some of you would choose to steal it rather than buy it.

I just can't see any justification in stealing luxury items like gaming material, especially when produced by relatively small companies (many of which are struggling as it is). It's not like these companies are denying you food and medicine.

 

[gregweller]

Interesting that this article should show up right during this discussion. It's titled 'The Revolt of the Poor, the Demise of Intellectual Property'. One of the interesting points that the author makes is that the whole concept of Intellectual Property is a relatively new one.

http://www.planetebook.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=304

 

[robaustin]

Have you noticed how Amazon.com has started having a "look inside" link for many books? This is so that they emulate the bookstore 'experience'. It allows you to check out a book before you buy it. Some of the D&D books have this already.

As for those who say it isn't stealing - get a grip. If you don't own the physical book, and you downloaded it, you stole it.

Same goes for music. I'm a thief. There. I admit it. I download tons of music from audiogalaxy. I'm stealing. If they catch me and can prosecute me, I'll take whatever punishment they can dole out. If you download music, and you don't buy the CD after "trying it out" - you stole it. Don't delude yoursef into thinking you didn't, and don't rationalize by saying "oh the record companies are a big monopolistic entity run by megalomaniacs....." You don't own the CD? You stole it.

I don't download the D&D books because I don't really use them (other than the core 3). I have the PHB downloaded (it's in Word Doc format), and I own it. I was looking for the DMG in word or text, but couldn't find it. PDF to me is pretty useless as most of those PDF's out there are scanned JPG's and NOT true PDF's that are searchable. I prefer a fully searchable text based file I can do a "find" on to search for a specific topic if I need to.

That's my $.02. YMMV

--*Rob

 

[Roland Delacroix]

This thread is to long to read now, but i read the first two pages and posted a brilliant economics thesis yesterday. Or I would have if this damned board wasn't slow as hell and erased my post.

Anyway, just wanted to shout out I am a serious downloader. Hudreds of game PDFs and even books, thousands of songs and videos. Don't feel bad at all, the internet has brought a shift in the way these technologies will be distribited and sold and those who don't keep up deserve to go out of business. I support those who have adapted thier business model to fit the internet like Monte Cook and online retailers. If Napster ever gets up and can ensure quality mp3s for a reasonable subscription price i'm all over that. Till then its KaaZa for me.

Jeez, i hope WotC gets with it soon too. These splatbook scans look like they were done by a one armed monkey. Or they'll go bankrupt and someone else will instead, its all the same to me.

 

[bramadan]

after reading many posts on many threads on this topic on these boards particularly, maybe someone can enlighten me as to why there are so many vocal detractors of the filesharing movement, whereas all i see in real life are people who think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Because on this boards there is unusualy large proportion of authors and potential authors and they are as a rule more sensitive about "intelectual property" then the usual joe.

 

[reapersaurus]

Because on this boards there is unusualy large proportion of authors and potential authors and they are as a rule more sensitive about "intelectual property" then the usual joe.

thanks for the opinion, bram.
You are probably right, but that still doesn't explain the fairly large number of (i believe) non-writers that get all up-in-arms about it.

I don't THINK all the people here are d20 publishers-in-development.

Yet the amount of disdain for the concept of filesharing is disproportionately large when compared to a normal mix of people and demographics.

 

[Berandor]

To come back to the debate at hand, I truly believe that internet piracy for books is a lot less important that the common piracy that happens everyday and is seen as normal : if you go to a friend's or to a bookstore, take a look at a book, and then use even only one idea of the book without buying it, you're doing as much harm to the publisher than someone who downloads the pdf from Morpheus.

That is not correct.

First of all, intellectual property is very hard to protect. If you read a feat and like it, you can "invent" your own feat that gives the same abilities. For example, I could create a feat called "Magical Prowess" that lets me treat my ability score as if two higher concerning magic.

Unless the wording is totally the same (or very, very similar), this is viable. That's why it's so hard to win in court if someone stole your music. You must prove it is exactly yours, not only similar to it.

Furthermore, WotC products are gaming accessories, and if your friend brings his over to the game table, you can all use it. It is how it is meant. It is not meant, btw, to be copied and passed around.

I also think that IP is protected, but not the idea itself, but how the idea is implemented. So not the idea of a prestige class for Arcane Archers is protectable, but only the DMG version of it, complete with wording and technical specifics. One reason for it is that two people can always have the same idea, but they will probably not implement their idea in the exact same fashion.

Last but not least, I think (and am not sure) that you are free to use a small percentage of a published product (5%) without infringementm, so you can use the Top Ten hits as jingles, or print a sample chapter of a book, or copy one feat or prestige class. I also think that this is only as long as you don't demand money for it.

So it is actually very different whether you use an idea from a book you perused, or whether you have an illegal copy on your PC.

Reapersaurus: Perhaps it is because on ENWorld, the people are generally smarter?

Actually, i can very well remeber when I had a similar thread about half a year ago, and me and KDLadage were the only steadfast defenders of IP.

Berandor

 

[Berandor]

Interesting that this article should show up right during this discussion. It's titled 'The Revolt of the Poor, the Demise of Intellectual Property'. One of the interesting points that the author makes is that the whole concept of Intellectual Property is a relatively new one.

http://www.planetebook.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=304

A very interesting article, and also not without merits or truths.

As I said, i can understand and agree with people who deem the existing situation and its foreshadowed devlopment as unbearable.

But then do something against it, not just circumvernt it.

Berandor

 

[The Kender]

Well, I guess I might as well come clean too. When I was first interested in Dungeons and Dragons, I got the PHB. I loved it, so I went out and got the REAL Hardcover PHB, DMG, and MM. I deleted the file. Never ever shared the file with anybody. Same with Tome & Blood. I wasn't going to get it at all. I looked at it, bought the book two weeks later. Never shared the file, deleted the file. Same with the Psionics Handbook. I have a couple others. I will not buy Song & Silence(I am a bard player. This book provides nothing) I was going to buy it for stuff for my bard, and found out there was nothing. I looked at Magic of Fearun. I am going to get that. I looked at Sword & Fist - Not buying it. Junk. I'd like to check out Masters of the Wild.

Books not payed for: 3
Defenders of the Faith(I like it. I will buy it when I play a Cleric or Paladin again)
Song & Silence(Sucks for Bards. I just have it because I might need to reference a spell for a game)
Magic of Fearun(Cool book. I'll buy it when I can save up enough)
Books payed for: 7
PHB
DMG
MM
T&B
PsiHB
FRCS
MotP

I see that not buying S&S, MoF, and DotF as wrong. The PHB, T&B, PsiHB I see as legally ok. I bought hard copies. 1 Copy = 1 Copy. I deleted the file as soon as I bought the book.

 

[Tsyr]

thanks for the opinion, bram.
You are probably right, but that still doesn't explain the fairly large number of (i believe) non-writers that get all up-in-arms about it.

I don't THINK all the people here are d20 publishers-in-development.

Yet the amount of disdain for the concept of filesharing is disproportionately large when compared to a normal mix of people and demographics.

Possibly because, unlike say the music industry, most gamers (at least those who have been around for a few years) remember good, hard working gaming companies that produced good, fun products go out of buisness, or at least change radicly... ICE... WEG... TSR(sorta)... FASA... and this was BEFORE filesharing came into the picture.