Save the Internet ... before its to late!

Marian

but to deny it has any impact is pretty naive (to say the least).

I did not say that it doesn't have any impact,
@marian said:

Though I'm not saying it doesn't have an impact.

I'm sure your point is a valid one.I do agree that piracy can and does affect businesses, but not all and not in the same way.

@alan fraser said:

It's utterly naive to think that software companies thrive on piracy or even welcome it.

I didn't say they thrive on it, but instead of trying to cover the Grand Canyon with a band aid I think their efforts would be better spent if they aknowledged they can't stop the pirating of their products and try to do something in order to benefit from it. I don't know what exactly but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

All I'm saying is that to completely stop piracy we would have to demolish the internet and its freedoms and instead of doing that businesses could use methods that bypass piracy. I don't think it's impossible it just hasn't been done before.

jason_maranto

@marian said:

I didn't say they thrive on it, but instead of trying to cover the Grand Canyon with a band aid I think their efforts would be better spent if they aknowledged they can't stop the pirating of their products and try to do something in order to benefit from it. I don't know what exactly but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

If something could be done then the person who figured it out would be a billionaire instantly... with that many billions of dollars riding on piracy if something productive and useful could be done somebody would have by now.

@marian said:

All I'm saying is that to completely stop piracy we would have to demolish the internet and its freedoms and instead of doing that businesses could use methods that bypass piracy. I don't think it's impossible it just hasn't been done before.

If find it interesting that often the countries with the least political freedoms are the ones who most take advantage of the Internets "freedoms" to pirate... interesting correlation? just a coincidence?

Controlling/regulating the internet is something that is inevitable and has been ever since people starting making and losing money on it.

Best,
Jason.

Gaieus

@jason_maranto said:

If find it interesting that often the countries with the least political freedoms are the ones who most take advantage of the Internets "freedoms" to pirate... interesting correlation? just a coincidence?

I do not think that would be the case. I rather think that it is more related to the financial situation of the general population. Believe me that (apart from the militant freeloaders), most of the people would rather be happy to afford copyrighted material than having to hassle with cracks and all the hazard it implements.

IdahoJ

Mike, I think your idea for an international body to police the 'net and provide anti-piracy monitoring is a grand one. And, even though I'm a US citizen, I'd be as happy as corn flakes if the central headquarters for this organization were anywhere else but the US. I know how our political system is viewed at times, and I agree there is some substance to those views as well. Also, having locations in various countries is wise as it allows for legal prosecution (when needed) to proceed under local sovereign law and not some "mandate of the Americans".

[CAUTION: ANECDOTE AHEAD]
I was traveling down a major US highway a few months ago over in the eastern US and along side the road there was a billboard with a sign on it that said simply; "Pornography hurts everyone." Erected by a co-operative group of local congregations, it was no doubt in response to a business that was selling pornographic materials a bit further up the highway.

I think of piracy like that. It hurts everyone, at all levels, from the guy burning the midnight oil writing software to the folks selling it legitimately on the 'net. Sure, we can point to Big Business and the evils thereof, but businesses are owned by stock and shareholders. Just regular folks and we expect a profit from our investments.

The online piracy problem is complex, and while I'd be the last person on earth to suggest that we need more legislation (I'm staunchly libertarian) or more laws to deal with the situation, it seems necessary. We had to establish laws to deal with pornography to protect citizens, we'll have to do the same with IP piracy too it seems ...

Cheers.

jason_maranto

@gaieus said:

I do not think that would be the case. I rather think that it is more related to the financial situation of the general population. Believe me that (apart from the militant freeloaders), most of the people would rather be happy to afford copyrighted material than having to hassle with cracks and all the hazard it implements.

Oh, I definatly understand that -- I have often wondered if some of the viruses we see aren't made by companies to target the pirates... but maybe I'm paranoid

Don't get me wrong I pretty laid back about the whole thing... but I'm not oblivious to the realities of the situation.

I'm mostly just sad about the huge waste of human manpower in this pirating thing -- after all you have the companies continually investing in stronger licensing schemes to try to defeat the pirates and you have the crackers investing time and energy in breaking those schemes... if only all that time, energy, and expertise could instead be put into creating stuff we'd all be much better off.

But that's just my idealism talking -- in reality I know darker motivations win out over ideals most of the time.

Best,
Jason.

Gaieus

You know what pisses me off is when pirates do not crack jut for the hack of it or because they think they are the moodern age Robin Hoods or even because they can simply not afford the copyrighted material but when they make huge (and read HUGE) money by reselling these cracked software in 3rd World countries.

We all know examples (even banned from here) like that. Now I agree that theyshould be shut down (and locked up).

Mike Lucey

@idahoj said:

Mike, I think your idea for an international body to police the 'net and provide anti-piracy monitoring is a grand one.

That's me! A man of 'Grand' ideas but no clue how to get them implemented at the scale that is required in order that they could be effective! On the other hand, isn't voicing such and idea and getting folks to also back it, a start.

This Bill will get through in some fashion, I have no doubt. It will probably have a few amendments tagged on before it does and I think that might be no harm. However, I am still nervous about the ways that it could be abused by the big wallet guys.

Maybe in time the Net providers, the genuine ones anyway, will see that it is in their interest to form into a consolidated international group and self monitor / regulate their industry in a democratic fashion. Until now they may not have seen the need or a good reason to do so but this Bill could change that, particularity if abuses creep in and I have no doubt they will.