Internet 'piracy'

Regarding the last point of yours, it is not only an attempt, it is actually a logical consequence of selling games at high prices.
As someone already mentioned, it is like taking a look at a car, house, bike, and about any other object you usually buy to see if it is worth it. There are things the companies could do to counter that, from releasing a time limited version to a demo version with limited content, but it doesn't happen that often anymore these days.

I guess the concept of piracy is relatively broad. For one piracy is downloading a song / movie / game that he can't get in his country, because it is not released, for others piracy is downloading things causally when they are not sure that they are worth the money and than there are those that consider only large scale downloading as piracy like you described it.

In my opinion there should be a law that any company that is releasing a game, program etc should give the user let's say 4-10 hours of trial time depending on the price and the size of the content of the software, after that it is fair to hammer down anyone that is trying to illegally extend that period without buying the program.
Until that happens, I say "no thanks" to anyone watching what I am downloading, because honestly, I am not going to spend up to a few hundred euro, to find out that what I bought is crap and belongs in the recycle bin.

First of all, it's stupid to stop illegal downloading of anime because most of the money anime studios actually make on the series is actually not from DVD sales or on air ads. Its from character goods, like buttons, posters, dakimakuras, and figures. The only pirates that the anime industry should go after are the bootleggers who sell knock offs and otherwise cheap imitations of the real deal to die hard fans who actually want to spend money on these things.

Secondly, most anime studios cannot sue you in America without having some sort of business presence in the country. This can be as easy as giving IP protection rights to lawyers but usually implies that they have to have some sort of office in the US. Likewise, if you special order a figure from a Japanese company that does not have a presence here in the states then you cannot sue them for any damages the defective item may have.

On the topic of piracy as a whole, I'm really meh on it. I can see why the entertainment industry is going after pirates and pirate distribution like, well, the Pirate Bay. But when you go to the extent that you begin to try and change how another industries legally operates, you really need to look at your own business models to see whats wrong first. But then again, the record labels will not be able to survive in the new market while still making the same profits. Really, the only change in the music industry in order to embrace free music would be to no longer sell CDs or charge for downloads and focusing more on musician goods, live events, and royalties from tv shows and movies. The industry has already started to move in this direction [see any drama on the WB/CW or even SNL/all the network news summer concerts] so it is only a matter of time before we see free music for all.



That's probably because so many companies like gamefly have come about lately that all you need to do is rent the game to see if you want to buy it. Same thing with movies. Netflix or Redbox are both relatively cheap alternatives to illegal downloads. My view, if you can afford the internet you can afford that stuff. Only the greedy illegally download anymore.

Sorry for the tl;dr post...

Not at all, it's well argued. Serious discussion approves of lengthy posts.

Tell that to anime dubbers and licensors outside of Japan. The majority of their revenue does come from DVD sales. Look at what happened to ADV - arguably the best licensor in the United States. Then again a lot of us probably don't care what happens to licensed anime in the United States or across the world, but it very well could have adverse affects on the entire industry.

Way to kill a good post with a baseless assumption.


@Tsurayu

But even if the dubbing industry collapses, the japanese industry shoudlnt be too harmed... I mean, most people there do buy their things, dont they?*

*This is a real question, am not knowledgeable enough to discuss this topic.

Not so with lesser-known producers and independent labels. I've known several wonderful record companies put out of business due to online piracy - that being said I don't support action against it; it's too difficult to win.

My thoughts: If you really appreciate someone's work, then give them compensation for it so you don't look like an ungrateful asshole.

To anyone trying to justify illegally downloading anime (that hasn't been licensed in your country): fuck you. The industry is going through shit this year (read the Wall Street Journal article for starters).

Note: I don't care about shit you absolutely cannot find; I'm talking about stuff you could easily purchase legally.

I think their efforts are a mere waste of time. People are always going to find a way to obtain works easily and without having to pay a cost.

I agree, but I think it is ultimately up to the individual to make the right decision. You similarly have the freedom to go around slashing peoples tires, but I expect you don't.

Also, if you don't believe you're hurting the artists by downloading their music without paying for it, you're kidding yourself. And no, I'm not talking about U2 or Radiohead or some other big time (shitty) group; I'm talking about independent producers and artists (looking at the music forum, it seems like these are the types of artists you all listen to anyway).

Have you guys seen the movie Hausu? (If you haven't, then go see it, i.e. request it on 4chan.) I don't feel that I've wronged anyone by torrenting this particular movie because it's impossible to find for sale online (I've perused Japan Town in SF to no avail). Doing the same for There Will Be Blood, however, is not cool.

tl;dr version: Don't be a dick.

I think that internet piracy should be cracked down on. However, when it goes to the state you say, where it takes away our privacy on our comps, then it is 2 much. Yes, the author deserves the money for their hard work but they still get that even with piracy. there will always be people who have to have the written/sung/modeled version.