Why DON'T you pirate?

[ProfessorCirno]

Can I call Godwin's Law on this?

Naw. You can call Milgram on it though, if you want


For me? Ethics and goodwill. I have, in the past, pirated things*. I will, in the future, most likely pirate more things*. I also buy a lot of stuff. What do I pirate and what do I buy?

When I want to toy through a game a bit and I have no respect for the game's creators, I pirate the game. I, granted, only play it for about two hours, and then delete it in disgust, but I suppose the pirating is still there. This is more of the goodwill one, I suppose - I'm explicitly pirating because I do not want my money going to the group. This is one section I'm totally not naming examples

When I want to get music from a band that no longer exists, I pirate the music. The band...uh, no longer exists, you see. I'm not giving money to the performers that I want to support, if I were to buy it.

When I want to get music, or a movie, or a show from another country that I cannot for the life of me buy regularly, I pirate more out of neccesity then desire. I watch a lot of anime. I cannot read Japanese. If there's a show that hasn't been comercially subbed, I'm going to download the fansub for it. It's not because I'm cheap or I like shouting "TAKE THIS!", it's because I don't understand their language.

Like I said, I buy stuff in all the above catagories. I buy games even when the game developer is no longer around (LIKE VtM: BLOODLINES IT'S ON STEAM NOW IT'S SUPER, SUPER CHEAP WINK WINK PLUG PLUG) because, even if the group is no longer around, increased sales in the game can lead to other companies attempting to make similar types of games. I buy cds from bands I like - always - because I want to support them and their music. And because a portion of all cd sales from Thrice go to charity (WINK WINK PLUG PLUG). If an animu that I like is comercially released, I buy it in hopes that sales will push more to be comercially released, and because I want to help reward the creators for making Haibane Renmei (Or whatever anime it is in question. Er, oh right, wink wink plug plug).

Am I a bad person? Maybe. I don't think so.

*That's about as defined as it's gonna be. Sorry

 

[Aexalon]

Goodwill, convenience, affluence, and ethics. In that order.

 

[Psion]

Ethics, Empathy with the author, which I think are in your edited first post.

And one that's not:
Enlightened self interest. I know what I like, and when I see something I like, I want the publisher/author to produce/distribute more of the same. If people get money writing for a game I like, that enables and encourages them to publish another.

 

[Nivenus]

Because it's wrong and it cheats the creator. That's all I need to know.

Granted, the issue might be more iffy if the creator is dead but for consistency's sake I feel it is still morally best to buy, rather than steal someone's work.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Enlightened self interest. I know what I like, and when I see something I like, I want the publisher/author to produce/distribute more of the same.

This thing. I think people deserve to be paid for what they do.

I don't think this is a clear moral issue. Stealing probably is, but copyright infringement ain't in the Bible. I feel no shame or regret in denying copyers their fee. I want to support the artists, not the underlying structure that simply happens, by chronological accident, to be the main method of delivering their content to me currently.

Which is why I go to a lot of concerts.

 

[s.j. bagley]

simply put- because i'm a collector.

 

[CleverNickName]

Because I ninja.

 

[HeinorNY]

What if I download a pirate PDF for the sakes of taking a look to see if it's worth a buy, pretty much like paging a book in the local store?

What if I download a pirate PDF I know i'd never ever be able to buy legally? (in PDF or the real book)

Just asking.

 

[Bishop Odo]

First off, beside the moral and ethical issues, if anyone goes to the trouble of producing something that is worth your effort to pirate, they deserve to be compensated for their work, if only to encourage them to produce more.

Secondly, considering the cost of quality printing, good paper and ink usage, it’s really is not that economical to print PDF books, when you can buy most things on EBay for about the same cost? There are a few exceptions, rare or hard to find items, but they are rare.

 

[The Black Kestrel]

I don't pirate because I believe in supporting the publisher of books I use.