• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

your thoughts on piracy and p2p

#81
I still feel like people are missing the point. I'm not going to argue about piracy being a reality or it being the future of music, because there really isn't an argument to be had. But when people say that piracy isn't stealing, I get really irked. By definition of the law right now, it is blatantly stealing. How much other stuff you purchase from artists or how much damage piracy may or may not being doing to the industry is irrelevant.

p.s. It's cool how respectful everyone is being in this thread. Even if there might be a little hostility, people are staying fairly cool. Pretty much every other discussion I've seen about piracy has ended up with incoherent personal attacks on both sides.
 
#82
nataku said:
... But when people say that piracy isn't stealing, I get really irked. By definition of the law right now, it is blatantly stealing. ...
Click to expand...

File piracy is not stealing. At least, in the U.S. it's not.

In the U.S.:
  • stealing (i.e. theft) will get you prosecuted in criminal court by the state you're in, most likely for larceny, or maybe grand theft auto, if applicable.
  • file piracy is copyright infringement and will land you in civil court, not criminal court. In the civil case, the file piracy victim will seek damages.

This isn't blatantly stealing by definition of the law. By definition of the law in the U.S. at present, copyright infringement and stealing are treated very much differently.

I wish to stress here again that I entirely avoid copyright infringement to the extent that I am consciously able. Also, as I've implied in an earlier post in this thread, I've got no sympathy for people who get their comeuppance for willfully committing copyright infringement, provided that the punishment fits the scale of the transgression. I'm not arguing from a pro-piracy position here.

I am arguing from a position of respecting our legal tradition in this country. We've begun to label civil transgressions (copyright infringement) with the words used for criminal transgressions (piracy), and our laws are slowly going to be transforming to fit our altered terminology.
 
#83
Here in Germany it is like this:

-Downloading music that is copyrighted will NOT get you into court.
-Providing copyrighted music to others for free, although the copyright isn't yours get you into court, AS LONG as the copyright owner will claim a civil case.

This means as long as the pirate downloads the music illegally from a site like rapidshare (where you are not uploading while downloading) the chances he'll loose a case in civil court are close to none.
Everybody who is providing copyright secured stuff, f.e. by downloading with emule or torrents, and is getting the attention of online detectives will most likely loose a any civil case.
 
#87
nataku said:
....But when people say that piracy isn't stealing, I get really irked. By definition of the law right now, it is blatantly stealing. ....
Click to expand...

Piracy:

Piracy is a war-like act committed by private parties (not affiliated with any government) that engage in acts of robbery and/or criminal violence at sea.

The term can include acts committed in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons travelling on the same vessel as the perpetrator (e.g. one passenger stealing from others on the same vessel). The term has been used to refer to raids across land borders by non-state agents.

Piracy should be distinguished from privateering, which was authorized by their national authorities and therefore a legitimate form of war-like activity by non-state actors. This form of commerce raiding was outlawed in the 19th century.
 
#88
I think that P2P can be a very useful tool for an artist to get exposure for their music; If folks REALLY like it, they WILL buy. Most folks who just pirate music wouldn't buy anyway.

Another thing about P2P - it's a great tool for learning tunes. If I need to learn a single song from an album I don't want, I look for it on line. If I can't find a decent copy, I suck it up and buy it on itunes - either way, it's cheap and useful.
 
#89
THand said:
Piracy:

Piracy is a war-like act committed by private parties (not affiliated with any government) that engage in acts of robbery and/or criminal violence at sea.

The term can include acts committed in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons travelling on the same vessel as the perpetrator (e.g. one passenger stealing from others on the same vessel). The term has been used to refer to raids across land borders by non-state agents.

Piracy should be distinguished from privateering, which was authorized by their national authorities and therefore a legitimate form of war-like activity by non-state actors. This form of commerce raiding was outlawed in the 19th century.
Click to expand...

+1
[/thread]
 
#90
OrionManMatt said:
In consideration of the topic, then, what are the best ways to support an artist? iTunes? Bandcamp? Noisetrade? Concerts? T-shirts? What's going to give them the great payback for their efforts?
Click to expand...


Music-wise, a self-pressed CD gives the artist the largest amount of money, with buying the CD via CDBaby being a close second. Retail CD purchase comes in very distant third if you've got a sweet sweet deal with the label, followed by the various download options.

Awesome link, awesome website.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back