Online Pirates in the UK Could Face 10 Years

[mgh 89]

There is always someone who supports piracy so the lock is inevitable regardless of the rules! butb them the rules don't apply to them!

[tonywob 4,768]

Piracy so far is a no-win situation. The more companies are trying to protect their software or add DRM restrictions, the more people are turning to piracy. Piracy is so common in the country I live in, that I'm sometimes surprised anyone would even want to develop downloadable software anymore. However, the more protection added into software the more it alienates real customers, and the company I work for has at least decided that pirates aren't worth the effort, as they'd never have paid for the software in the first place anyway.

 

There's nothing I hate more than people who charge and get rich from other people's work (e.g. Paid file sharing sites), and the sooner people and sites like this disappear, the better. However, it's easy enough to threaten to lock people up, but perhaps they should instead try and address why so many people pirate or turn to illegal sites in the first place (e.g. DRM, unskippable adverts, etc..). The pirates who share stolen content or host illegal sites know and pray on this, and I'm sure if consumers had better options (i.e. Worldwide availability of content, no adverts), they'd be less likely to look for pirated content and more likely to pay for a quality service (Of course, not everyone would, but that's just life). 

[thepilot 573]

 

 

Why stop at 10 years? Why not 25?

 

Unless you were being sarcastic, what do you feel would be an appropriate punishment for true crimes then, such as murder, robbery or rape? 

[mgh 89]

 

 

...perhaps they should instead try and address why so many people pirate or turn to illegal sites in the first place

 

It's simple - they don't want to pay. Music, films, even flight simulator add-ons are luxuries. No one needs them, so there is no justification for piracy.

[BuboBubo 35]

It's simple - they don't want to pay. Music, films, even flight simulator add-ons are luxuries. No one needs them, so there is no justification for piracy.

 

I think you are wrong there. Music piracy have decreased allot nowadays thanks to digital purchase possibilities from i.e. Itunes and Amazon

as well as streaming services like spotify.

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

(...) why so many people pirate or turn to illegal sites in the first place (e.g. DRM, unskippable adverts, etc..). (...)

 

Pirating software in order to skip the adverts???

 

Not exactly a convincing ... pretext.

[WotanUK 289]

Jim i find it perplexing that you start a topic and insist that only emphatic agreement ensue.

 

I am not going to condemn or condone piracy but i think that something is very wrong with a system that has criminalized something that previously was only a civil tort.  

This has involved an egregious attack on civil liberties, private companies having access to previously private data and tools from law enforcement agencies, i.e. my tax money enforcing private companies copyright and profits.

 

The situation in the US is utterly abhorrent, i remember reading about a person who was sued for $100,000+, that is beyond the pale it will ruin the rest of their lives, as mentioned above, they would have been better off, breaking into somebodies house, killing them and stealing their belongings.  This situation is ridiculous in the extreme and I fear this is coming to a country near me soon thank to TTIP.

 

Do i think that stealing is wrong, well yes, with caveats; i don't think it is wrong if you are starving and steal food, but media of any description doesn't fit into this category.  Do i think that this is worth throwing away privacy and civil liberties over...hell no!

[tonywob 4,768]

 

 

Pirating software in order to skip the adverts???

 

It's one of the arguments I see used often and there's no denying that being forced to sit through adverts to watch a movie you've paid for is unfair. I personally don't watch TV because of adverts, and instead rent the stuff I want on iTunes or the Google Play store. Although, product placement inside TV shows and films is now becoming worse and in-your-face now because people are learning to ignore the adverts.

 

 

I think you are wrong there. Music piracy have decreased allot nowadays thanks to digital purchase possibilities from i.e. Itunes and Amazon
as well as streaming services like spotify.

 

Agreed. I know of several people who once pirated but now have turned to paid services. But yes, there are always some people who will never want to pay for anything.

[HiFlyer 9,358]

 

 

But hey-ho.... corporate lobbying is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

 

Exactly.

[JDWalley 354]

The proposals have been prompted in part by an independent review that found that the “vast majority of online copyright offenders have links to further criminality.”

 

Absolutely true! The vast majority of people I know who torrent software, music, or movies also drive faster than the speed limit!

[HiFlyer 9,358]

 

 

It's one of the arguments I see used often and there's no denying that being forced to sit through adverts to watch a movie you've paid for is unfair.

 

Especially when you've paid through the nose for some blockbuster movie, and while sitting in the theatre, are bombarded by advertisement after advertisement while you are essentially helpless to do the usual things like go make a sandwich. If I wanted advertisements, I would be watching television. My most common behavior at this point is to pull my tablet out and play some music on my headphones, or if I forgot the tablet, close my eyes, put my fingers in my ears and hum till the advertisements are gone.

 

Yes, I actually do that.

[TooWings 17]

You encourage people to make their copies of a CD or tape by illegitimately copying them? Or do you know a legitimately way of doing them?

 

Everyone is familiar with both sides of the torrent debate, I was simply outlining both views with regard to a supposed 10 year jail term possibly being brought in..

 

As far as making 'legitimate' copies of cassette tapes goes, I doubt you'll find any on sale since they became obsolete in the 1990s. I mentioned them only in relation to the article where music artists were saying it was something that they did way back then.

 

Regarding a 'legitimate' way to make copies of music CDs, ask Microsoft......

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-xp/help/windows-media-player/11/rip-a-cd

 

Jim i find it perplexing that you start a topic and insist that only emphatic agreement ensue.

 

Agreed, and that's the reason I posted my earlier views outlining both sides of the debate..

 

There is always someone who supports piracy so the lock is inevitable regardless of the rules! butb them the rules don't apply to them!

 

I haven't seen anyone on this thread say that they support piracy.

 

I've personally said that I don't see why people would risk downloading large torrent files of games etc since most are known to be infected with malware and viruses according to the likes of AVG.  Having said that, I do find it odd that the bankers who gambled greedily circa 2009 and caused a global crash and recession which lost hundreds of billions, got off scot-free, while torrent up-loaders are pursued to the ends of the earth.

 

Absolutely true! The vast majority of people I know who torrent software, music, or movies also drive faster than the speed limit!

 

I see what you did there! 

[mgh 89]

 

 

I am not going to condemn or condone piracy but i think that something is very wrong with a system that has criminalized something that previously was only a civil tort.

 

The law has to adapt to changing circurmstances, and if that means criminalising an activity so be it it.

 

 

 

Do i think that this is worth throwing away privacy and civil liberties over...hell no!

 

Whose civil liberties -  my liberty to keep my property, or someone else's liberty to take it away from me?

 

 

 

Especially when you've paid through the nose for some blockbuster movie, and while sitting in the theatre, are bombarded by advertisement after advertisement while you are essentially helpless to do the usual things like go make a sandwich.

 

Perhaps would to like to pay a higher price for your seat in the theatre film without advertisements? You only have to find other like-minded people in your area to get your cinema to conform. Have you asked it?

[Luke 782]

 

 

Jim i find it perplexing that you start a topic and insist that only emphatic agreement ensue.

 

This.

 

AVSIM has never been a place to get particularly informed discussion on IP law as it related to software. Hopefully this is changing.

 

Cheers!

 

Luke

[Jim Young 2,356]

This topic really isn't debatable as there is only one side to the argument.  As I stated, the Terms of Service state piracy, like telling people how to pirate software, providing links, etc.,etc., is not allowed here at AVSIM.  We have banned a lot of people for doing so.  I just thought it interesting the UK is considering changing the punishment from two years to 10 years for the distributors.  The punishment does not cover those who are downloading from a pirating website and using pirated software.  The punishment, from my understanding, is for the people who are distributing the software.  Sort of like drug dealers getting a longer term in jail than just the users. 

 

Best regards,