Tom Meyer

I find it funny that Todd H says:


but then has:


in his signature So when will you be installing IE so you can see all the pop up ads for yourself ?

Todd H

Looks like someone missed the point.

ChuckSolo

I find it rather amusing that there are still responsible, supposedly intelligent people out there who actually think it is OK to pirate intellectual properties. I am not on any HOLIER-THAN-THOU trip!!! What is the matter with you guys, would you go into BlockBuster and hide a new DVD under your shirt and try to walk out? Would you enter a movie theater, pay to see one movie and then enter another theather to see another unpaid for? How about putting that piece of steak in your pants before exiting the supermarket?SAME DAMN THING FOLKS!!!! THEFT IS THEFT!!!

Steve Kuester

I love it when I'm in disagreement with someone and they start calling names (holier-than-thou). It means I'm right.

Do you own a TIVO and skip the commercials when you play back recorded programming?
No

Do you ever speed on the highway?
Yes

Did you ever tape a record from a friend back before CDs?
No

Do you go to the bathroom during commercial breaks?
Yes

Do you have pop-up blocking software installed on your computer?
No

Have you ever told a lie?
Yes


Were these the answers you wanted? Is it now okay for you or anyone else to steal?

Anybody know where this is from?
"...we loathe infringements on author rights and oppose to the existence, promotion and sale of bootlegged products."

I guess I'm not the only one with a holier-than-thou attitude.

John_Berger

I'm not even going to bother lest the admins accuse me of picking a fight. Believe what you want.

Todd H

Of course not. The point I'm trying to make is some members here believe the issue isn't totally black and white. When they say as much, we have others that resort to saying stupid crap like



It's that kind of thing that pisses me off to no end. If you want to debate INTELLIGENTLY try not to resort to stereotyping someone as a pirate just because they don't share your beliefs.

I posted those examples because some seem to get extremely angry about music and movie downloading. Yet, I guarantee you most of them have done things that aren't quite legal. If you record network television with your TIVO and skip the commercials, then you are hurting the advertisers that helped pay for the programming you are enjoying. And while it may not be illegal (yet), it's still taking money from the advertiser's pockets. And I'm sure lots of us copied friend's LP's to tape back in the day. Finally, who here hasn't done a little speeding while in a hurry to get home. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Too bad many of the members here have forgotten this.

Am I worried about music and movie downloading putting the entertainment companies out of business? Nope. While there will always be pirating, if you offer a great product at a great price then you'll always have many loyal customers. Forget this mantra and the customers will get their product from elsewhere.

Do I download movies and music? Movies no, music occasionally. There's no sense in downloading movies since I can get a much superior product on DVD for a fantastic price. And when I download music, it's usually to sample what's out there. It's how I discovered lots of great bands that get ZERO radio and television play. When I find something I like, I buy the album simple as that. But there's not a lot of music out there for people in my age range. We're the ones with disposable income, not teens. But every year we hear about how the record industry is hurting. Here's a thought...lower prices and start marketing to people that actually have money to spend!

And that concludes my yearly rant. I will post no more on the subject. And while I'm sure some here will go ahead and label me a "pirate" or "criminal," I hope I at least brought a little understanding to the subject. So please, let's be a little more courteous.

Lev-S

As a consumer, my money is my weapon. If I don't like something, I don't invest money in it. Period. If more people did this, maybe there would be some change. Just because I don't like how something works doesn't mean I have the right to steal it. It doesn't help when the option to steal is so convenient and economic, but that doesn't make it any more "right". Some people have severe "Robin Hood complexes" and like to "punish" Hollywood and the music industry while others just like the option of getting something for free. Unfortunately it does hurt the industry no matter what your stance on it is. Is it stupid to pay one person $20+ million for offering up some sub-par thespial emoting? Absolutely. But it is no more stupid than stealing the movie that contains the sub-par thespial emoting. Again, if people were REALLY concerned with ticket prices and such, then they would simply not buy the legit content. But between people "fighting the power" and people just plain ol' free-loadin', there is no viable concesus to show Hollywood and thus, the corporate big-wigs figure everything's cool down here. Just don't buy it if it sucks. It's not like any of this entertainment is essential to our survival. Right?

BTW Todd H, just got the Mozilla and am very impressed! Thanx for the recommendation!

My DVDs

Homer: So, Mr. Malloy, it seems that the cat has been caught by the very person who was trying to catch him.
Skinner: How ironic.

Todd H

Gald you're enjoying Mozilla! Check out the thread in the computer section for some good tips.

Paul_Sjordal

That almost could've been an argument, except that not a dime of those advertising dollars go to the musicians nor the record labels. All the money goes to the radio station, which wasn't involved at all in the production of music CDs and which receives no royalties from the sale of CDs.

Yet you don't see the record industries suing your local top 40 stations do you? They don't because they want radio stations to play their music. In fact they send the radio stations CDs for free in the hopes that they will get played by the radio station. For free. They do this because if enough people listening to the radio station like the song, a percentage of them will go out and buy the CD. The radio station might be getting free music, but the record companies are getting free advertising from the radio station.

I'm not defending those incorrigibles who insist they should get everything for free, who have substantial MP3 collections and not a single CD to their name. But as fas as I can tell they are a minority. Most downloaders are like Todd H or radio listeners.

Note: this is only about the music industry. Movies and software are different animals entirely.

“It’s great to be known, but it’s even better to be known as strange.” —Takeshi Kaga

Lew Crippen

Radio stations pay a fee to the labels for the records (still under copyright) they play.

¡Time is not my master!

Damin J Toell

Really? Radio stations pay nothing to copyright holders? You may want to tell that to all of the radio stations that pay good money for ASCAP radio licenses. I'm sure they'd all like a refund.

The discs might be free, but the broadcasting of them isn't.

DJ