Internet Piracy

[Geniusdude]

(This is a survey for a presentation I am doing for an Oral Exam)

Well, as we know, Internet piracy has been taking over the markets lately. But is it truely fair to download off of Kazza, Morpheous, Direct Connect, and other downloadable software.

Feel free to give your opinion and thought about it. Don't forget, answer the question yes or no

Is it fair to the average consumer that buys the legitemit programs, software, and music CDs?


Is it fair to the more than average computer user(as myself) that uses many different programs, and requires them, but has no money to pay for the outrageous price that they are selling it for? EX: Dreamweaver - Priced at $305.56


Can Internet piracy be stopped without disrupting the advances in technology?

 

[Ecniv]

Is it fair? Hell yes. Because the Number of people that are capable of pirating software are far outweighed by those purchasing the software. The companies that charge these outlandish prices are still making a fortune. (usually for an inferior or inept product)

Can it be stopped? Hell no. For every one piracy group, website, or program shut down, 10 more pop-up. It is a phenomenon that has never been seen before, and it will continue indefinitly.

 

[Quantum]

It's not fair to paying customers to hand over hundreds of dollars for a program that is barely 600 MB. Companies would sell more and have less piracy if they sold software between $20 and $30. Especially when the customer support is lacking in quality. Programmers should be paid but most of that money is going to CEOs who believe they do all the work on it.

Is it right to download software? As long as companies are not playing fairly, yes. No one here can afford Office for home use but Works is too bad for anything. So piracy is how some people get it. If Micro$oft lowers prices so everyone can buy Office, Windows, etc, and other companies do so, piracy will drop.

Till then, piracy will continue one way or another. I hope CEOs will stop ruining companies and products for mansions.

 

[b.dave]

i agree that software prices coming down is really going to be the only way to combat piracy, although the people pirating the software can always go lower on prices than the company so i think that there will always be a problem.

encryption of data, serial numbers etc are less than pointless when pirating software, because the companies make editing the software so simple, it's almmost funny.

the companys are charging hundreds for software that will proboably have to be updated, or that will be behind the market in a year or two, so whats the point of the m charging so much?

 

[Quantum]

The real question is why have licenses to tell us what we can and can't do with it?

If we want to buy an OS and install it on 2 PCs from 1 CD, we should. We paid for it so it is ours. However, under the DMCA, we don't even own the copies of digital material like CDs and DVDs.

So they could legally license us so that we can only play a CD in the car and buy another for the home. DVDs can only be played on DVD players and not PCs. The whole thing is ridiculous.

These people do need to be paid but it's 1s and 0s.

 

[chalk]

I am on the side of the consumer here, but I completely agree that programers and dev people need to be paid. And that they shouldn't lose incentive to put out the wonderfully ordered 1's and 0's.

The music/entertainment industry is freaking out about filesharing, and being able to record your 1's and 0's on a plastic disc other than the one they sell for 19 bucks. The industry did the same thing when reel to reel tape recorders, casette recorders, and VHS recdorders with outlandish claims of complete industy collapse with each new tech...

Perhaps an answer lies in the way that patents are done. After a certain amount of time, anyone can use it...

Maybe the music industry can hop on the 'petrolleum disks' with analog grooves sounds better than CDs to try and get a retro comback. I'm sorta kidding, but I do think some things sound better when played off record players.