Random Musings

It was widely reported that in the first 2 weeks of Microsoft Vista’s launch in China last year, only a total of 244 genuine copies were sold.

Can you believe that? It’s one of the most amazing pieces of news I’ve read!

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Piracy

I think it’s time I wrote a piece on what I think about piracy and copyright infringement issues.

Not to say that I’m a saint, but my friends who know me well know that I’ve been very strongly against piracy and copyright infringement for many many years now.

I also hope that as our nation progresses economically, we will also be able to progress when it comes to our attitudes towards piracy and copyright infringement.

Anyway, back to what I’m trying to say.

Let’s say you are an excellent photographer, and you post your photos up on your blog for your readers’ appreciation. But one day you realise someone has been secretly downloading your photos without your knowledge, and publishing them as large glossy calendars for sale at major bookstores.

That’s not right, isn’t it?

Or maybe you write really good poetry on your blog. Then one day someone decides to copy your poetry and publish it into a book, not only without your permission, but also without even attributing the work to you.

That’s very wrong, isn’t it?

Welcome to the murky world of piracy and copyright infringement.

We live in a time where it has never been easier to indulge in piracy and copyright infringement.

Somehow it seems OK when we do it to others, but never OK when others do it to us.

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Piracy = Stealing

Make no mistake about it: Piracy is stealing, plain and simple.

It may not be the theft of physical property, but it certainly is the theft of intellectual property.

I think the most common forms of piracy today might be:

• the illegal downloading of movies and songs
• photocopying of printed material (e.g. library books) with the intention of enjoying the full benefits of the material without actually purchasing it
• purchasing or using pirated software such as Windows, MS Office, Photoshop, etc

Students tend to say “Ah, it’s OK for me, cos I’m just a student. I’m not earning money yet…”

Young adults tend to say “Ah, it’s OK for me, cos I’ve only just started working. Not earning much at the moment…”

Adults tend to say “Ah, it’s OK. I am just one insignificant person out of a sea of millions. It won’t hurt anyone if I do it…”

Well, I say it doesn’t matter what your excuse is.

Piracy is outright WRONG.

Some people say, “Hey, who ask them to charge such an exorbitant fee for this book/software/disc? How can they expect me to afford it?”

There is also a common refrain that because record companies charge so much for music albums which usually only contain 1 or 2 good songs, it is OK to download music illegally from places like BitTorrent.

Well, my take is that just because something is overpriced doesn’t give you the right to go steal it.

You can’t just walk into an Apple store and steal their MacBooks just because you think they’re overpriced. You can’t just walk into a Louis Vuitton shop and steal a handbag because it is so grossly overpriced.

Get my drift?

For all you know, the reason why some intellectual property items are so expensive in the first place is because of the many pirates out there.

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Grey Area

Ok, I’ve gotta admit that there is one huge grey area which I can’t seem to figure out.

That is the issue of ripping CDs into your computer.

If I buy a CD, and I lend it to a friend, and the friend rips all the song into his iTunes (thus effectively enjoying the full benefits of the CD), is there copyright infringement?

Cos nowadays it’s so easy. Almost everyone has iTunes (if you don’t have it, you can always download it freely on the net). And you don’t even need iTunes. I’m sure there are other software which allow you to rip CDs into your hard drive as well.

So what gives?

Does that mean I can theoretically bring my laptop to my friend’s room and rip every single CD he has into my laptop?

Is this copyright infringement?

I’m really unsure about this issue.

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Motives?

Let’s say you want to buy the “Ratatouille” DVD.

You walk into a shop and there are two of these lying side by side.

One is pirated (don’t ask me how it got there) and costs only $3. The other is original and costs $29.90.

Which you would buy, and why?

If you buy pirated, because it is $26.90 cheaper than the original…then I’d have to say that’s an action I definitely do not agree with.

If you buy original, because you are unsure of how good the quality of the pirated DVD will be, and you are also worried that the pirated DVD might somehow damage your player…then I’d have to say you came to the right decision, but your motives are wrong.

If you buy original, because well, the pirated stuff should never be there in the first place…then I’d say well done bro. (Or sis.)

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Conclusion

So I say, at the end of the day, it’s not a tall order to take a firm stand against piracy.

All it takes is a little bit more resolve to say “No, I choose to respect the intellectual property of those who spent lots of time, money and effort to produce it.”

Let’s all say “No” to stealing.