Media Piracy: Good Economics?

If you share something that you did not buy with your own money you are a communist.

If somebody you know ever comes up to you talking about sharing, sacrafice, or anything dealing with the common good report them to someone of authority as soon as possible.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

Yes simply implying you will share music will get you convicted. Much like dissing the President will get you a one way trip to Guantanamo bay.

I never said that. I just said it was being a communist.

And dissing the president in a public forum still has consequences none the less. We're a nation at war... or something.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

I don't think people who share files are communist though,

Neither do I, just trying to get a rise outta someone.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

I think downloading is a great way to try before you buy and to get a hold of things that are impossible to get (like Photoshop, most people can't afford to pay over $200 for an art program).

Individual piracy doesn't really hurt the company in such cases since you're not likely to buy the software anyway.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

Just think how much overpriced crap most of us buy to satiate the capitalist system.

You sound all negative when you say that, like it's a bad thing. Overpriced crap most people will buy just means a enlarged profit margin for the company, and more debt for the consumer. Doesn't seem like such a bad system from where I'm sittin'! What could go wrong?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

There's nothing wrong with capitalism per se.

I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. Nothing is perfect.

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

But with the United States government giving massive tax breaks and allowing big organizations like the RIAA to flourish undisturbed (and allow themselves to be lobbied by the RIAA and MPAA while ignoring the people they are supposed to represent), it's not good capitalism. anymore.

That's just a "good" democracy. :biggrin:

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

The organizations that currently control consumer distribution of media are attempting to use legislation to create a monopoly for themselves. This is the opposite of a free market; they are making an enormous effort to ensure that they control the market.

Your misconceptions about a "free market" are simply wrong then. For example, how is the "invisible hand" at work when the Federal Reserve is setting the interest rates? Think about it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate on this.

What I'm basically saying is that the "free market" concept is pretty much bullshit. We can talk about supply and demand, and ignore resource scarcity and depletion. We can talk about the free market, when really all the world's economists base their decisions upon the flow of equidity coming out of the Federal Reserve. Thanks to the dollar's status as the reserve currency.

With the Federal Reserve wielding that much power and influence I'd say it's a pretty visible hand. Not the "invisible hand" of the market.

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

First of all, how is it conducive to a free market to say that a commodity ("information") which is all over the place and easily available, is legally owned by one person or corporation, and only they have a right to decide what happens with it?

Most Western countries regulate alcohol in such ways. Yes, I know we're talking about information; and more or less the free flow of it on the internet. But in the capitalist system commodities are commodities to be bought, traded, and sold.

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

Imagine if this were done with, say, coffee mugs for example: everyone had mugs, and everyone had the equipment to be able to reproduce them cheaply, but then it was legislated that only company X was allowed to do it. Anybody caught making a mug for themselves or for someone else would be shut up in jail. Now company X controls supply, even though there's no real reason they should..

Since when are companies able to legislate anything for themselves? That's what lobbyists are for. And enforcement of such legislation? At this point you're not talking about the "free market" at all.

Hope that helps illuminate my perspective a little bit more.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

Heh, I see what you mean. And while I do, personally, hold to largely libertarian viewpoints, by no means would I assert that we are currently operating under any ideal sort of free market.

Just as long as you don't make the mistake that these are largely capitalist ideas from a cynical yet slightly eccentric capitalist. :biggrin:

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

Obviously, I would say that we would be better off trading in a monetarized wealth medium. A currency directly tied to the reseve would be a little better than what we have now, but even this has problems I don't need to mention.

In essence we have that already. First it was gold, now it's 'black gold'. The trade in oil only take's place in USD. So the Federal Reserve is free to print as many dollars as it pleases. Well up until recently... as in roughly sometime this month. Ahh interesting times we live in.

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

Exactly. What I meant to get at, *snip!* The answer to this is the reason that, more and more, it is necessary to regulate it artificially to create value for the enormous amount of business built up around it. And personally, I don't think it will be born out in the long run. (Now I may very well be wrong on this - controlled economics often sustains itself in cycles for quite some time.)

Regulation is impossible in such a... how should we say... "pure democratic enviroment" such as the internet. Since commodities are information which can flow freely on the internet.

Originally Posted by Gwaehir

You're right. I was actually talking about copyright law.

I know, just more food for thought over my original point about a "free market" being a joke that we tell school children on a daily basis. Did I mention I was cynical? heh.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?