Illegally Downloading Media.

Is piracy right or wrong?

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Davey Gaga

Davey Gaga

Under you like a G.U.Y.
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I'm sure we've all seen on the news recently about how the Government are hoping to cut down on the numbers of people illegally downloading media, particularly music. One of the proposed measures would be to send viruses through your computer attached to your downloaded file, preventing your computer from operating. Another would be to fine both yourself and the site from which you are downloading your files.

So, what are your thoughts on these new proposals?

Personally, I'm infuriated. Aye, I've been known to download a number of songs from Limewire and suchlike - who hasn't? I'm well aware that it's illegal and that I shouldn't be doing it, as are the Government. What really annoys me is that they've identified the sites, which provide the songs for downloading [they showed Limewire on the BBC News, although didn't directly say - I just recognised it] and yet, instead of putting an end to the sites, they're just going to punish both people who use it - in other words, they'd prefer to profit before they actually want to tackle the problem they claim to be tackling anyway.

Additionally, this 'virus' idea of theirs means that they'd either have to (1) illegally hack into the file-sharing sites and 'plant' the virus or (2) get in contact with these sites and obtain access to people's accounts - thereby going passed the root of the problem and pussyfooting around it instead.
 
I think that instead of worrying so much about music being downloaded illegally, the government should spend the time, energy and money on more important issues.

Personally, I'll be annoyed by it. Most people I know rely on downloading music because they don't have the money to go out and buy CDs whenever they want to, and sometimes you might want a song that's on a rare CD or wasn't released or whatever, and you have to download it then. It's pretty pointless too, since if they stop people using Limewire and Torrents, other programs will be made so people can download, and then they'll just have to do more work to stop those programs. And repeat.
 
The Government are petty. What they plan to gain from plan is more profit. People download off the sites, their PC breaks, therefore the people have to go and buy another PC, (and if the people are stupid enough, they'll download again and break yet another PC, putting them people in an endless loop)

Now, my opinion of it...the Government are only pissing off the community more, which will lead more closer to the Government's downfall. I think it is petty that the Government won't let us just have a few free pleasures, especially with all the profit their making off everything else :monster:
 
Honestly, I believe it is a complete act of hypocrisy. Let me explain it. Let's say I don't want people from downloading music illegally yet I create a program which allows users to download music for free. So the issue here is, why create a program to download free music if you don't want people to do it? And even regardless of not being the creator or not; why do you allow such program to exist?

It is like not wanting people to cheat in a game. Why give the tools that would allow them to cheat if you don't want them to do that? Isn't it a bit contradictory?

You can easily copy a legal CD with Windows Media Player by ripping the music from the CD (and if it has some sort of security lock, there are tons of programs that allow you to break those "seals" placed in CDs and DVDs), and I am sure most people here are aware of that.

So, what's the point? Regardless of how many laws or procedures are made, people will still find a way around the rules and cheat.
 
To attach a virus to a file though, they'd have to put it in a Zip file, unless I'm thinking wrongly here, and as such, it would be easy to avoid picking up a virus anyway. I can't see the creators of programs such as Limewire co-operating with these plans either, as then they'd lose their business.
 
I can understand why so many artists would be up in arms about being cheated out of so much money - after all, they're providing a service and deserve to be paid for that service [though it does stick a foot right in this 'we care about our music' - if that was true, you'd be providing the entertainment for the sake of entertainment, not money].

I think Julius just hit the nail on the head when he mentioned "providing the tools necessary". It just emphasises how they're pussyfooting around the problem and profitting over it, before actually solving it.
 
General Beatrix said:
To attach a virus to a file though, they'd have to put it in a Zip file, unless I'm thinking wrongly here, and as such, it would be easy to avoid picking up a virus anyway. I can't see the creators of programs such as Limewire co-operating with these plans either, as then they'd lose their business.
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Or they can make the file (either .exe, .mp3, .ini, .php, .WHATEVER!) of a virus look like either a MP3 file or a MP4 file.
For example, this is a very basic one. Open your Notepad (a default program in Windows' Series OS) and save the file with any name while giving it the extention ."something"

For example, if I want my Notepad file look like a .ini file, I just write:

Test.ini

...and it will look like one of those files necessary for the OS to run smoothly, let's say, like that "boot.ini" file which helps your computer to boot the OS it has.

Another example, let's say I save my notepad file as ".exe", the file will be saved and will look like an "executable file" yet when executed, it will do nothing because it is not an actual "executable" file, well not as long as I don't add anything to it >__>

For example:

Test.exe

So in theory, yes, I believe they can make any virus file look like even a normal and apparently "harmless" MP3 file while hiding within the file a virus.

I am not sure though, I still don't have the necessary knowledge nor the experience to verify my hypothesis. :shame:
 
The thing is, Limewire tells you how long a song runs for, and what album it's on and what-not, if it was a virus disguised as another file, it wouldn't reveal that information - at least I think so anyway. So everyone will just need to be extra careful with what they download. The government wouldn't be able to infect every file, that would just be ridiculous.
 
We must also NOT forget that programs such as UTorrent does exist as well :wink:

Limewire is like "I am asking for viruses eventually" kind of program, yet its usefulness and easy to use options make us ignore that little detail. Limewire is good for those "hard to find musics"

Last night I found some good old 80's songs like those from Journey :monster:
 
Exactly, I don't know if the Government can hide viruses inside torrents, but either way, it'll be easy to tell if they're viruses or not. But anyway, there's a lot of different ways to download music, you can get programs that rip audio from youtube videos for example - if they add viruses to programs like limewire and utorrent, people could just use those types of programs instead. So either way, it's just a huge waste of time and money, that they could be spending elsewhere, on more useful projects.
 
Not to mention that people can buy one single CD, rip the music, and then "share" it with their friends :wacky:

Then that would mean they would have to install "viruses" on people too ROFL :lol:

Nah seriously, they would have to watch our every move, which would also be a waste of money. Come on, we have better and more important things to do like trying to find a way to lower the price of gasoline...
>__>
How come they don't focus their efforts on THAT? -__-
 
This issue is so ridiculously trivial, and I think General Beatrix and Stitch are correct in saying "Why bother with something like this when there are so many more important issues?" It's kind of like the EU and their cucumbers (http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,562064,00.html), except even though (as fucking stupid as it is) you can stop selling bent cucumbers, you will never stop the download of music, movies, etc... without pulling a China and introducing internet police which is obviously not only a horrible idea, but a costly one, which would be ironic since the musicians earn tens of millions of dollars, themselves even with p2p file sharing.
 
General Beatrix said:
I think that instead of worrying so much about music being downloaded illegally, the government should spend the time, energy and money on more important issues.
Click to expand...
You're talking about Labour right? The same party that gave people peerages if they donated money:monster:
Governments like to collect revenue, and if they gwt wnough, they might even lower taxes. (Not really, but at least it helps to contribute to schools)

[though it does stick a foot right in this 'we care about our music' - if that was true, you'd be providing the entertainment for the sake of entertainment, not money].
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Exactly, and it's not as if they are short of money either.

Perhaps they are only doing something for the sake of it. Musicians will be happy and it is bad for governments to look as if they are inactive.
 
They're trying to make even more money.I totally support downloading,legal or illegal,as some of us cannot afford to buy all these.I mean come on,buying just a software take Photoshop for example costs like 600 euros.Everything is so expensive especially where I live.Add on your computer being broken by those viruses.Even if you use a credit card to download there'll always be hackers who shall use the password of your credit card(talking about worst scenario) and then you stay homeless but the government won't care.

Even if they do so,eventually new programs for downloading illegally will be created(were talking about technology here) and this keeps going on.
 
I'm against mass downloading of songs and films. For the work and effort and time that goes into producing a film or album, it's only fair that people should have to pay for it. And using the excuse that "cinema tickets cost too much" is bullshit. If people didn't download everything, then there'd be less need for the prices to be as high. People need to stop being so tight and actually spend their money on these things.

However, I do support downloading single songs, but only for a limited period (i.e. after a set number of plays, the song must be paid for, or it can only be played through a certain program). That way, it lets people easily listen to a new band or song before going out and wasting money on an album, only to discover that they don't like it.
 
Meh.

I don't really care about illegal downloads. all i'm remotely concerned with is music, tbh. People will probably get around to buying albums from bands they really like when they get money rolling in or something. I will, at least.

I know I damn well am not buying an album for one song though, and I'm definitely not spending more than 10 bucks on an album as long as I don't have a job. :elmo:
 
i download a tonne of music/games and movies, it would annoy the crap outta me if they stopped it, i mean nearly everyone does it, get used to it..godddddd
 
I'm all for downloading, as long as people don't take the piss. I'll download something (e.g. Metallica's Death Magnetic) and listen to it for abit. If I really like it, I'll go and buy the proper disc. If I don't I'll delete it or just keep some of the songs. Luckly I do like Death Magnetic now but it's taken a while to get into. Now if I didn't have the option of downloading first, I'd probably have not even given it the time of day after what 'Tallica did on St.Anger, so in the end record company gets their moneyz anyway.

And what is the difference between 'file sharing' and the old tape sharing scene of back in the day which helped so many bands get their name? Nothing, its absolutly the exact same thing, only with newer media and avalible to a much wider extent. It's silly.
 
i agree with what your saying.
i would bet that 90% of people our age download music/movies/games etc, thanks to the internet we can do that..and if ther gonna stop us from doing that, they might aswell stop us from doing anything on the net..
 
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