Archive for the 'copyright' Category
Intellectual property
The other day I was listening to a discussion that started with Pirate Bay and ended up as a defense of illegal downloading of music and films. All of them were doing it, along with most of the rest of the world it seems. The last time I listened to the same discussion I had butted in and said that I pay for all my music and films, but I was left with a feeling that the others thought that I was rather stupid in doing that. So this time I didn’t say a word.
Has Internet changed our moral code so fundamentally that it has now become acceptable to acquire other people’s property without paying for it? And by acquire, I mean steal. I know that most people wouldn’t steal a CD or DVD from a shop. But when the contents of the CD or DVD are made so easily available, the concept of “other people’s property” gets a bit blurry and suddenly it becomes perfectly justifiable to download and enjoy the media – without paying an öre. The risk of getting caught for downloading is negligible compared to stealing a physical CD from a physical shop. Just because it’s easy, it doesn’t make it right. It’s a classic case of opportunity making the thief.
A few years ago I must admit that I was guilty of the same (so there goes my moral ground to stand on, I’m not a saint). Before the download age, I could sometimes borrow a CD from a friend and copy it for myself. Then later, I downloaded the occasional song that had caught my fancy. Then I got to a point in my photography where selling my pictures became a realistic option, and I finally came to realise the meaning of intellectual property. My photos are mine – if someone wants to use them, I expect to be compensated for it. I have given away photos for free a lot more often than I’ve gotten paid for them, but it has always been my choice. Someone has been nice enough to ask me, and that’s good enough for me. It’s the thought of someone taking one of my pictures without asking and then using it for whatever purpose that gets me. The copyright notice in my pictures it not just for decoration.
So if I’m so particular about my own intellectual property, then the least I can do is to respect others’ ditto. Thus, I now buy my films on DVD and download my music from iTunes. (Silly me?) I think it is also a way of showing my appreciation for their work – voting with my wallet, if you will. “Create some more of this good stuff!”
No, the entertainment industry definitely has a big problem. Most people would pay for their downloads if only they had a viable option for it. And every year that goes by without that viable option is one more year for people to learn to expect that intellectual property is not worth an öre – because that’s exactly what they are (not) paying for it.
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