Software piracy: Pros and cons

[Trotter]

I have decided to write my upcoming research paper on the hypothesis that software piracy is not the 1000 pound gorilla that the media and software companies portray it to be. While I am fairly confident that I can find plenty of sources, I wanted to ask you, the TF community, if you have any that I should check out specifically.

I am mainly in need of sources that portray piracy as a negative thing (there's a million that tell of its upside), but I will accept both. Blogs are fine, but I'm not allowed to use Wikipedia (professor doesn't think it is credible).

Thanks for all who post. While I could do this without suggestions, I know that there are many here who are better versed in this than I am (you know who you are ).

 

[Dante_Caligari]

The Effects Of Piracy
The Effects of Piracy in a University Setting
Good - www.serci.org/docs_1_2/waelbroeck.pdf

I got most of those off of Google. I don't know if that is what you were looking for or not, but usually what I say in defense of piracy, especially music piracy is that "piracy will only make artists less rich." Nobody goes broke because of piracy.

Also, I just bought GRAW for 20$. I didn't buy it for weeks because it was 50+. Says something? I think so. I have not bought a music CD for years. 20$ is just simply too much.

I did what I could.

 

[Trotter]

LOL. Yeah, I have Google, as well.

I refuse to buy a lot of software. Not that I'm pirating a lot of things, but I do like to try before I buy... especially if it is $50+. I ain't rich enough to drop that kind of cash on an experiment.

I'll check those out, though.

Anyone else?

 

[Dante_Caligari]

I found this one in defense which is interesting:
In Defense of Piracy - by Sascha Matuszak

On the same track:
In Defense of Piracy and Openness | The Substantially Similar Weblog

I'll quit now.

 

[hilowe]

...but I'm not allowed to use Wikipedia (professor doesn't think it is credible).

Have you thought about checking wikipedia, and using some of the sources that they do? Or is the professor smart enough to check up on that sort of thing?

Copyright infringement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Between external links and references, there's 21 items to check. Plus, there are wikipedia articles title "copyright" and "anti-copyright" that could be of some use.

 

[Enterpriser]

Free Software, Free Society by Richard Stallman. I am not sure if this is what you are looking for. Are you fighting the software patents themselves?

Richard Stallman - Dangers of Software Patents

Found a pdf of Free Software, Free Society in case anyone wanted to read it. ===> http://notabug.com/2002/rms-essays.pdf

Wired News - A Nation Divided Over Piracy

 

[Trotter]

I am taking the posistion that software "piracy" (I hate that term) is not as serious a threat as the media and software companies are making it out to be.

Take Photoshop, for example. There is no way to justify the price of PhotoChop, other than they can charge what they want because PhotoChop has become the standard. Windows, Acrobat, and others spring to mind, as well.

But, in order to write this, I have to have views from the other side as well. So, any and all sources that are actual sources would be appreciated.

 

[HAVOC]

Trotter, I hate to break it to you, but you can't catch fish in the desert.

Unless of course you're hallucinating.

 

[Qiranworms]

I don't know if that is what you were looking for or not, but usually what I say in defense of piracy, especially music piracy is that "piracy will only make artists less rich." Nobody goes broke because of piracy.

Well, that's not strictly true. There are plenty of artists who haven't "made it big". On the other hand, the recording industry seems screw many of them over regardless of piracy, so I'm not sure if the point is relevant.

 

[idiotec]

I am at work so I cannot spend to much time here, but let me throw out a point from left field.

IMO, the problem with software/media piracy has more to do with how I see it affect society, or how society has affected it. It is definitely a "chicken or the egg" thing, but I constantly see opinions of self entitlement with the issue.

People, especially young people, seem to be in the mind set now that they are "entitled" to certain things. If they cannot afford a piece of software, or a CD, or DVD, they seem to feel they have the "right" to it and see no wrong whatsoever in stealing it. The idea of having to work for it has seemed to be thrown out the window.

This also seems to be be closely linked to the opinion that it is not wrong to steal from people/company's that they perceive to be "rich."

IDK, maybe I am crazy, but I see so much of this "Microsoft has so much money, it doesn't matter if I steal it," or "They charge too much for it any ways, so that give me a right to steal it" bullsh!t. IMO, neither one of those arguments holds water at all.

So my thesis, "Piracy is breeding a generation of snot nosed kids who need to get a job!"