Saturday, October 9

Piracy: Is It Morally Permissible?

Been doing a lot of ethical reasoning lately on the subject of piracy... While most discussions of piracy are superficial and unsatisfying (most often semantic games about whether piracy is theft), it's actually a very deep and perplexing issue. It raises very difficult questions, and presents some profound dilemmas concerning the future of the internet, civil rights, the entertainment industry, and even some deeper philosophical questions. I'll be doing some personal research on these more interesting matters, and following up with more posts this coming week.


But first, the question I have for you is this:

Is piracy morally permissible?

That is, whether or not it's legal. Whether or not it's technically theft.

39 comments:

  1. is it moral for big music, gaming, and movie companies to overcharge us for their greedy benefits? it should be considered theft for what they expect us to pay for a single album, dvd, or video game!

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  2. Well "piracy" propagates exposure to the selected medium that one may not have access to by other means. Said exposure leads to the possible purchase by those who might not otherwise made said purchase.

    In a way, piracy assists companies in spreading their merchandise. Now, if they ever decide to give out demos, for let's say, games, with a 3 day period of use, one may be more inclined to make the purchase of the unrestricted game.

    That's just an example, but relevant nonetheless.

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  3. think piracy makes more publicly for bands imo. More people liking the band will support them by going to shows! Bands make big sales still and with limited editions cds or w/e it's gives them a lot of money. With games I think they should making more online games because I think less people will pirate!

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  4. To me it's a try before you buy... if i pirate a game, cd, or program i'll try it out, and if i like it, I'll go ahead and buy it(not so much programs because i don't really have the money to buy a 300 dollar cd).

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  5. I think piracy is perfectly reasonable.

    It takes no money out of the pockets of artists..in many cases, it increases their income. I know many people who pre-view media via piracy to decide wither or not to buy it.

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  6. Like mast3rcloak, it's only try before buy ... so yes, it's morally permissible.

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  7. I think piracy is like theft honestly. They make the movies or games to be bought and then you go and get it for free. Kinda beating the system.

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  8. Do I think it is morally permissible? No, but I'll do it anyway. :p

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  9. Piracy is downloading a copy of something and not stealing the original.

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  10. over priced music, films and games are theft.
    we are the victims, not large companies

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  11. Yes, I think its morally permissible. This way I can try something before actually buying it.

    Tha bad thing is when you like it and still don't buy it.

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  13. you got me stumped on this one..

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  14. GOD bless the pirate bay


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  15. i like your post!

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  16. im too poor to afford anything

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  17. good job here!

    you just inspired more bubbles on "Enhanced by MS Paint"... check it out!

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  18. here in Bolivia there is no even the original shops so there is no way other than piracy

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  19. It should be permissible, there's no way to battle piracy without jeopardizing everyone's privacy.

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  20. an interesting question

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  21. you've got a great point on this one

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  22. wow. that's a really nice pic. i think i'm going to save it on my comp lol

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  23. We are all pirates - But, the rich keep getting richer!

    What do you think of NoiseDiary.com?

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  24. The fact that we are not literally "hurting" anyone seems to make the act more enticing.

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  25. I view songs as advertisement to go see their concerts, so the artists should promote the spreading of their songs. Software piracy is another matter though.

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  26. i dont get guilty in my head when i do it

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  27. very interesting man thnx supp

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  28. i think it depends on if you see your morals as coming from inside you, or externally influenced

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  29. Depends of your situation, If you have a job and you like to buy stuff, It gonna be better if you buy a software with your own key code, or buy music hard to get free. But if you still living with your parents, no job (so no money) there's not another option, besides, you should know that sometimes, companies don't care about piracy. Some forums are full of piracy and people report those forums, and nobody cares....

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  30. Piracy: I wouldn't have bought the game anyway, as I have no money = fine.

    Piracy: I would have bought the game but I'm a jew so I stole it = not fine.

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