Paul James › Comments

#2 (but it's a close call) - Micah Wittman

Number 2 all the way, kick ass - Paul James

Today is the decaversary of The Matrix - Matthew DeVries

The Matrix was released 10 years ago today. - Morton Fox

Thanks, Morton, the Matrix was my first thought, but didn't know enough. - Victoria Plautia

Um, I said it first - Matthew DeVries

True, Matthew, but you used a fancy word like “decaversary” which nobody understood. :) - Evan Brown

Yeah, Matthew, had you used a word like Tenabration, we'd all know what you meant. - Ted Roden

ooops, sorry Matthew! OFFICIAL THANKS GO OUT TO MATTHEW DEVRIES!! :-D - Victoria Plautia

ha ha ha ha ha ha for the comments - Josh Haley

I still don't understand. If you got a copy of a work but didn't pay for it, does the author get a duplicate if your money? I don't recall it happening that way. In my experience, you kept the money, and the author got nothing. Feels like theft to me. - Mistletoe Glen

So photo coping a book for research is theft too then. - Uncle CW™

The law permits fair use as a defense, and that does NOT include the entire work. So, yes, if you copied an entire book, you've stolen money from the author. - Mistletoe Glen

but it's not theft, glen. it's violating a copyright. that's why it has different legal terms, definitions and penalties. - tiffany

The adoption by the RIAA and other of the term "piracy" to describe software copying is, like Bush's "war on terror", a disingenuous misuse of English for the purpose of political manipulation. Software copying may indeed not be justifiable, but there is no comparison between it -- a misdemeanor at worst -- and the violent crimes correctly described as piracy that are currently terrorising shipping off the Horn of Africa. - Tim Ostler

@glen but the comparison gets muddied by the incorrect notion that the sale would have happened in the first place. Be it never going to pay in the first place, is only using it because there is no demo version to try out, it's not for general sale in their market or not being in a position to pay for it at the current asking price but not using it commercially. It doesn't make the act right, but it's folly to imagine that every pirated item is a lost sale and purely the fault of the pirate. - alphaxion

Just because someone does not run their business in the manner you might prefer (no demos) does not give you the right to copy it. Justify it to yourself all you like, you're still infringing. - Mistletoe Glen

Where's the picture of the guy saying "Not this shit again." - Chrimmus Tad

Cute, it's not stolen; it's copied. It only hurts if it was your original. - Phil Boiarski

@glen I'm saying that the act isn't right, but sometimes it is the only course of action - tell me, there's a copy of something you really want to watch but the company refuses to release it due to it "not being commercially viable", yet a copy is available for download. If they ever release it, you would happily pay for it... But they steadfastly refuse to. Have you denied them money? Have you stolen from them? Now if they can't release it due to copyright/licensing issues that changes things. - alphaxion

also, my demo item is quite valid. Imagine if an application costs upwards of several thousand but they don't allow you do download a demo of it and you don't know if the software is viable for your needs. You can't find out this info via reviews etc, the only way is to use it and see if it works for you. Bear in mind I'm not saying "pirate and keep using without paying" but to cover a need so you can determine whether or not to spend on it. - alphaxion

and then there is the ultimate reasoning.. the core reason why many residential people will pirate software - because there is nothing else that can do the job at a price point they can afford. They're not using it commerically and if an affordable version were to exist they would pay.. Bear in mind I'm not talking about a company, since a company making money should pay for the software they continuously use. There needs to be more granularity in pricing and licensing restrictions. - alphaxion

Nice, but I prefer this version: http://img371.imageshack.us/img371... - Paul James

i think we all do it. but it doesnt make it right. i try to buy as much as i can, even pay for itunes downloads even though i still may get a avi/drm free version as well (offer me drm free, and i wouldnt even bother with BT). its also interesting as a "try before you buy", disappointed that your favourite band just released a stinker??? not to worry, download it before you buy it. including individual song purchases, makes artist pick up their game as well.. - Terry O'Fee

Sorry, making a copy is making a copy. Piracy is theft. - Mattb4rd

i'm not saying it should be legal, you're trying to tell me you've never done it? - Terry O'Fee

Would you consider it theft if I paid Adobe the full price for the latest version of Dreamweaver, and then downloaded a copy of the much older Dreamweaver 4 and a crack, because that's the most recent version that will run on my PC, but Adobe will not give me the opportunity to buy a license of that older version? Considering that I had just paid for the right to use Dreamweaver, most... more... - April Russo (app103)

i think more artists and more tv networks should be savvy in creative commons. hurting people who may get them more viewers/listeners is just stupid IMO. it's sad to see people leeching and not helping the artists or tv people at all, but a lot are honest. i buy a hell of a lot of dvds still. - Terry O'Fee

The fact remains that society has evolved: copyright laws don't apply anymore, and industries based on copyrighted content will eventually disappear or transform themselves. It's a cultural thing. It would be very difficult to go back to the days when people went to the stores and bought CD's, for instance: we've gotten accustomed to iPods and downloading stuff. And yes, some people pay in iTunes, but the majority don't. In any case, iTunes is a good try in transforming a traditional copyright industry. - Jordi Soler

its about honesty, though. do you find it right downloading an album off of a young up and coming band who are struggling to hold on? i try to buy more indie stuff. i dont cry if the major labels lose a couple of bucks. - Terry O'Fee

Sorry but I have the RIGHT to make copies of material I already own. It's fair use. Once I buy a copyrighted work I am now free to use that work in any way I choose as long as it doesn't infringe on the owner's rights. RIAA doesn't believe in that at all. They want it so that the consumer never OWNS anything and has no RIGHTS to the use of the products at all. That's completely bogus. - Alex Scoble

i believe the system is flawed. here in australia, we've got it pretty good (the cops usually only ever go for the people who are trying to make a buck out of it). i wasn't talking about copying what you own. i just generally dislike the people who just download download download, and never ever bother to try and give something back. sure, lots of people dont have the cash to be buying CDs every week, but itunes makes it cheaper than a 30 dollar CD purchase in one of the music chains. 17 bucks isn't as much - Terry O'Fee

Yeah, Terry, but it would be nice if they actually gave us our money's worth when we download something from iTunes or Amazon. Give us the frickin' FLAC for $1 for pete's sake...and don't make me have to choose one site over another to get a song. Make it all available in either place. All this "it's on iTunes but not Amazon and vice versa" crap is extreme lamesauce and must be eradicated with PREJUDICE! - Alex Scoble

FLAC? ehh, no thanks. i don't have that much room. i'd hate to see my entire collection as FLAC on my pc. besides, the shithouse mastering most albums are getting these days it's truly not worth it :P - Terry O'Fee

but you're right this company has this and this company has that. i usually try cdbaby first, then itunes (cause amazon isnt available here) - Terry O'Fee

OK, you might not have a need for lossless files, but someone like Akiva (and other DJs) does. Would be nice to have a choice. - Alex Scoble

i just mean this "louder is better" that seems to go on in mastering today. when the original CD sounds better than the remaster. When "Death Magnetic" sounded better on Guitar Hero than it did on the official CD. I only ever see FLAC when it comes to bootleg trading, because of the already low quality of the original tapes.. - Terry O'Fee

DJs! if they're not using vinyl, they're not DJs! ;) - Terry O'Fee