Re:HBO Is Targeting Game of Thrones Pirates: What Does This ...
by klez on Friday April 24, 2015 @07:51PM
(#9436581)
I have to disagree.
If you consume something you are making it impossible for someone else to consume that same thing. You can consume a beverage (no one can drink it after you did) but you can't consume digital content. Here[1] it is explained by someone more knowledgable than me. (incidentally, the FSF also suggests to avoid the word 'piracy' to describe illegal file sharing)
Also, when saying pirating is a net loss to the system, maybe you can say it about piracy as a whole, but for the individual I would not be so sure. Suppose I wouldn't have bought the content anyway (that is, my alternatives would have been pirating it or not seeing it). How am I causing a loss in this conditions?
[1] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Consume
Re:HBO Is Targeting Game of Thrones Pirates: What Does This ...
by Versability on Friday April 24, 2015 @08:41PM
(#9436700)
Piracy doesn't cause any losses on the whole because it raises the brand image. I wouldn't know anything about Game of Thrones if not for piracy, and it increases my affection for HBO and media as a whole. if not for torrents, i would play outside, not buy GoT.
Why would you say it's counter productive to label it consumption? The truth is, if you're sucking up entertainment without providing anything or incentivizing production, you're a net loss in the system.
I say this as someone who has pirated things -- pretending you're not a burden on the production system if you're just pirating things is delusional. The argument that people make towards pirating and paying for content which they liked is much more consistent. Rather than pay people off for marketing/hype and support bad content in the future, you can fund solely content that you think is worthwhile. But again, this is just changing the way in which you're consuming material.