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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Berandor" data-source="post: 108172" data-attributes="member: 225">Hey, all!Speaking as someone who has had pirated software on his computer, is not too dumb, and has spent hours and hours discussing this topic with firends:I can understand people who say they don't like the laws as is, who are wary because the laws protect the company's interests, but only to a small degree the author's and the customer's interests. I can understand people who don't support these laws because the development is even to the worse (not being allowed to read an e-book out loud, for example). I can understand people making a stand for their beliefs.However, most of the filesharer's don't have this view, even if they state it. It is a common and easy excuse because how could somebody say something against it?The truth is that most people don't feel bad about the laws. Most people don't want to make a stand.Most people just don't care. They want their product without paying for it. They have the possibility to get it free, and so they get it free. They have absolutely no qualms abpout breaking a law, and it's only stupid because they are on the wrong side of it.If you'd really care about how laws are, you would not only have a silent protest by filesharing, but you would start a campaign to change the law. You would try and raise money to hire a lawyer, or you would go press. You would write letters to the companies in question. You would DO something.But most people don't. They just get their files for free.They are content with the knowledge of doing wrong, but getting served their meal in the process. They don't care.Furthermore, speaking as an author, piracy is immoral. It is theft. Because I have to make money from my ideas to live, and if you dl it somewhere for free, or make it available to others for free, I lose money. If I have a part in sales, I lose it directly. If I don't have, I lose because you change sales statistics to the worse, and with fewer sales, I will get less money for my next project, if there is any.Finally, you need to learn something about our culture. We live in something called "capitalism". A society built on a free economic market, where the demand regulates the price.How does it work? Simple.You like something, and the price is o.k. - you buy it.You don't like it, but it's a bargain - you might buy it.You like something, but it's too expensive - you might buy it.You don't like something, and the price isn't very low - you don't buy it.That way, companies need to put out interesting products at a reasonable price, because you can't survive with bad products at a bargain price all the time.You know what's not in this example? You like it, but it's too expensive - you steal it.That's because this is not how it works. In our society, this is working outside of the boundaries of communicated behaviour, it is breaking the law.If there is a product that is too expensive to buy, but you want to have nonetheless, then you might have to cope with either not getting it, or with saving money until you can buy it.I would like to have a flat screen for my PC, but it's too expensive, and guess what? I didn't steal one. I'm waiting until I can afford one.I think prices for movie tickets are getting almost too high, so I wait for most movies to see on TV or DVD. That way, I can read more reviews, see what my friends think about it, and perhaps I might decide not to see it at all, or to spend the money for a ticket nonetheless. But I don't DL a pirated copy.I know most people of my age think filesharing is O.K., because it hurts only nameless big companies, and I honestly think this development is scary.If big companies lose enough money on filesharers, they let people go. They fire Joe Average. They don't risk a product with young shakespeare/madonna, because it is too risky at the current market situation.If you don't like the current situation and laws, then try to do something about it.Don't buy ANY product of said company, write letters, etc. - and perhaps people will notice, and perhaps you instigate a change. Yes, you! You can do it. You might be a small person against big companies, but "even the smalles person can change the course of the world".I know I am angry at the DVD country code system (don't even get me started). But I have written e-mails to each company regarding this, and I write an e-mail every time I see a DVD that has less features than a pack of handkerchiefs. I talk to friends and other people about it, trying to raise awareness to the issue.If you do the same, I can wholeheartedly understand you infringe on copyright laws as part of your stand, and I might even join you in your quest for better customer/artist laws.But until you do that, don't try and tell people you do the morally correct thing by pirating/stealing/infringing on other's property.Berandor</blockquote>

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