9 ms·

This war is already lost for copyrights protectors, the question is when they stop bother us.

• Keyframe 17y ago
  By us, people who steal stuff?
  • callahad 17y ago
    The tactics involved in "defending" copyright do more to inconvenience legitimate consumers than pirates.
    • omouse 17y ago
      ^^This! Bittorrent is possibly the best distribution system ever. There is no DRM, there are no checks to see if you're in the right country, there's nothing stopping you from getting exactly what you want. Movies for example...some people hate the extra/bonus features on DVDs and just want to see the damned movie while others like them. Why don't movie companies distribute two different versions? Also, what about letting people in all sorts of countries download or watch things? This is possibly the worst thing for me because I'm Canadian.
    • jrockway 17y ago
      Indeed. I would not mind paying for movies, but the studios won't let me. My computer runs the wrong operating system, my HDMI cable is not the right kind, the movie isn't for sale in my country, etc., etc. OK fine, I will just download it instead. All that anti-piracy protection gave me no option but to pirate the movie. Oh, the irony. (I could "just do without", but why should I suffer for the studio's mistakes?)
      • bullseye 17y ago
        I think this argument is disingenuous. We as consumers do not have any "right" to copyrighted content. If you can't watch a movie because of some distribution problem, so what? It's their loss because they've alienated a purchaser, but it still doesn't mean you are entitled to it. I am very against DRM on content I have purchased, and I've admittedly "sampled" music that I may or may not have purchased later. But I've never violated digital rights because I felt like I had some sort of privilege to do so. I would love to see an overhaul of the industry, but until we do, we can play by their rules, or at least be genuine about it when we don’t.
        • wvenable 17y ago
          Copyright is a compromise between the general public and the creators of the material. It's a construct that exists to promote the creation and distribution of works. If you can't watch a movie, what does that serve? The public is clearly not getting anything. And the creator isn't getting anything either. Everybody loses. This isn't the same as simply not being able to pay either.
        • callahad 17y ago
          I agree. My main contention is with technology being bent to enforce compliance. Per definition, this only inconveniences legitimate consumers, since in order to pirate something at all, those measures must have been defeated. Basically, I don't take issue with copyright law. I take issue with producers "managing" my rights for me. Tell me my rights, trust me to abide by them, and sue me for transgressions.
  • romanm 17y ago
    We don't steal stuff, we share stuff !!!
    • Keyframe 17y ago
      Sure
  • boredguy8 17y ago
    I honestly don't get why this is so heavily down voted. I want my "original hacker's news" back. What's next in the /. -> k5 -> hn chain?
    • callahad 17y ago
      I think it was downvoted for its tone -- it's very easy to interpret as name-calling. There is a rational basis for opposing copyright controls without simultaneously supporting piracy, but sadly, most people seem to advocate from the latter camp.
    • SwellJoe 17y ago
      What's next in the /. -> k5 -> hn chain? Sorry, but k5 was never in that chain. reddit, perhaps, is/was the next step after Slashdot.
    • narag 17y ago
      I honestly don't get why this is so heavily down voted. Because it's a lie? "Piracy" isn't theft. Abortion isn't murder. You can argue that they're wrong, but this kind of misrepresentation is the lowest possible way of discusion. In fact it's an admission that people doesn't look at copyright infringement as wrong, so it must be tagged with a stronger word. This debate is not going away, because that's the politics of our time. So please, at least let's keep it a little more intelligent than that.
      • jpwagner 17y ago
        dude, this debate is not "going away" because it's grey. abortion at 8 months 29 days is undoubtedly murder. abortion at 8 months 28 days is undoubtedly murder. Now work backwards, when is it no longer murder?
        • narag 17y ago
          I don't know US laws, but in my country they're separate crimes. So "undoubtedly"? Really? Try convincing a court. As for the debate being "grey", of course. That's my point. "Piracy is theft" is black and white. And wrong.
  • whughes 17y ago
    It doesn't matter. The war is lost anyway. You're not going to change anyone's mind; people simply don't place value on files.