this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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⚓ Dedicated to the discussion of digital piracy, including ethical problems and legal advancements.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I'm amused at these statements these 'wannabe' pirates make to justify piracy. A smart person would pirate quietly without letting the world know or justifying it.

I know why I do it & I don't want some validation, internet points, 2 minutes of fame to sound / look cool.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You've just let the world know you're pirating though

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because for some piracy isn't simply about being a cheapskate but also about activism

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Theres some truth to this, but a lot of people do use this as a shield against the general cultural acceptance that piracy is stealing or otherwise morally underhanded. I do it, but I don't have any illusion I'm one of the activists. I just get indignant and refuse to pay someone for content or entertainment who I think is damaging to the medium or predatory in general. I feel like if I really wanted to make a statement, I just wouldn't consume their work at all -- but life is short and I want to have my cake and eat it too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

So true! Here, have some internet points and validation!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don’t want some validation, internet points, 2 minutes of fame to sound / look cool.

No, you just need everyone to know you don't care about sounding/looking cool to sound/look cool. Totally different.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Too cool to be cool syndrome.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You just said admitted to pirating, you little muppet.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Especially when the statement makes no sense

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Do we really need excuses for pirating media?

I pirate movies because I think digital access to them is overpriced, goes to the copyright holder instead of the creators, it's convenient and most importantly because I can.

I can't pirate going to the cinema, nor can I afford to build my own, therefore I gladly pay to have a seat and enjoy a movie there.

Edit: I thought this may be relevant to the movies example I gave. I don't think movie studios, giving nothing back to society after massive profits are the ones we should debate the morals of stealing with.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

But all of those are excuses?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Until we live in a world where people have equal access to information and essential technology piracy is a moral imperative.

Should something which costs a few hours worth of work in the developed word cost three weeks worth of work in a less developed country, just to make a publishing company worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars a few extra bucks? Of course not!

Every other argument is a moot point to me. If I hadn't pirated Photoshop and other software when I was a poor kid I wouldn't have the six figure career I have today. The ultrarich steal from us every day in more ways than I can count. Maybe when they start being held accountable I will start caring about their bottom line.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think this logic is silly.

Employers don't own you, so witholding wages for services you provided isn't stealing. Getting a haircut and not paying isn't stealing.

I think the better justification is: rights holders make it a pain in the arse to access content affordably, so fuck you, just going to steal it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You're only partly right. You example services. Of course it is not possible to own services. Piracy is only applicable to products. The point of the Twitter guy is, that companies intentionally stop selling their software etc. as products to sell you the same thing as a service, so that you cannot own it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Our current system of copyright is flawed and only serves the interests of corporations.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Can we not become subreddit by posting this shitty screenshots trying to justify our reasons? Just share your media and enjoy it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

what do you mean trying to justify? discussion of shitty anti consumer tactics in digital media is perfectly valid

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A screenshot of some comment is not really discussion though. This is a pretty base level understanding of the concept, which is why I say it's more cope then actual discussion.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is one of the most popular posts this week here with more than 4 HUNDRED comments. I don't know what you view as a discussion but I think this was a pretty successful attempt at creating one.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

I will say this thread had way more discussion then I was expecting when I originally posted this. My point about the screenshot still stands, I would much prefer we discuss something new related to sharing media, instead of recycling the same discussion about why its justified to copyright infringe.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

That's my YouTube comment. You and so many others are making me feel like a badass. 😎

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Well paying for it is essentially leasing it, piracy is neither. So...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Here I am wondering why there is still a downvote button in the YouTube comments... it does nothing!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The same reason that a lot of crosswalks have fake buttons. So you feel like you have control.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

and why elevators have non functioning close buttons

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Some elevators.

All the ones near me have fully functional close buttons.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

This is why I only carjack rental cars, it's totally not stealing!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

That's why I break into hotel rooms.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

How does that work though if you rent a car? You don't own it, but still stealing if you "steal" it.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

Child logic to justify behavior. Be better than this ya’ll.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

While I appreciate the sentiment, theft of service is a crime. You don't have to be able to own something to be able to steal it.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

That's why I claim ownership of every hotel room I've ever stayed in and every car I've ever rented.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If a service costs money, and you take that service for free without permission it is stealing. If I rent a car I don't own it. Is it not stealing to hijack a rental car for a few hours?

You can't have your cake and eat it too. You steal because it is easier or cheaper. Thats it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Here's my example: I subscribed to Paramount Plus explicitly for Star Trek content. The week I subscribed, they pulled all of the non-Abrams films. So I got to watching other stuff. Eventually, they brought all of the films back. Cool, right?

So I finally get around to Prodigy, a show made for Paramount Plus. Two episodes in, and it vanishes. No announcements or warnings that that show was just going to disappear. It's gone. Because "it wasn't popular enough". A show that only existed on that one platform was pulled off of that platform with absolutely no other legal way to view it. Content that I specifically signed up for that platform to see, and now I can't... legally. Yo ho, yo ho, me hardies.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If I rent a car I don’t own it. Is it not stealing to hijack a rental car for a few hours?

Not a great hypothetical. Copying files would mean that in your hypothetical... I see the red civic your rental service is providing... Look at it real hard, poof another one into existence and drive away in it.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago

I have a better idea: Instead of piracy, just don't use/consume products that are exclusively distributed through shitty business models. At least when it comes to software, that's much more effective.