For those who participate in illegal downloading, do you rationalize? I personally don't take part in such efforts because I find it immoral. A lot of people have tried to rationalize it to me, such as "the music companies make a lot of money and won't care if I take from them." Despite this, stealing is stealing. I don't judge anyone taking part in this, but I'm interested in such other rationalizing.
I don't take part in it either. Not so much as I feel it to be immoral, but because of the viruses that are rife in those places. If the authorities thought it was a serious law break, they wouldn't be there now open to the public and thriving. I think the authorities have more pressing issues to deal with than bothering with the millions of people who download music and movies illegally every single day around the world.
I don't now, nor have I ever, taken part in illegal downloading. I don't entirely agree with the copyright laws, I feel they should end immediately after the artist's death, but stealing money from musicians, many of whom are struggling (They don't make much of a profit, despite whatever you believe) to make ends meet, is just wrong to me. That being said, I don't agree with having to pay money for just streaming music, so I don't pay for that.
I think one rationalization for illegal downloading (I don't personally take part in it, but I see this as a valid positive aspect) is that it provides access to music for someone that would normally not pay for the album. This, while illegal and initially hurting the artist, can lead to increased exposure for the artist, increasing their value and fan base. The price of the album may have deterred that person away had they no other way to get the album. With that said, on an aggregate scale it certainly does more harm than good.
I downloaded in high school and college, but then some of my friends were getting threatening letters saying they would be fined $10,000 for downloading a Jewel song and all of my downloading activities came to an end. I just stream content mostly (legally on Pandora) because it's just faster than downloading a song.
I'm not into downloading any type of torrents, but I don't find it immoral. It's risky business anyway. Many of those files have spyware attached. It's illegal yes, but immoral? I'm not so sure.
I don't get to download music files but I get to download iso files. Someone told me months ago in a torrent forum and I quote.I believe its true.
Eh, there are some very suspiciously specific denials in this thread. That said, there are three things to consider: 1.) What counts as illegal and what does not count as illegal. Alot of people think that any downloading is breaking the law, but many downloads are available with the permission of the artist or the artist's company. Downloading in that case is not only legal, but encouraged. 2.) The honest price of an item and whom is profiting from the purchase thereof. If a song cost a dollar, the average artist will receive 5 cents maybe and only after repaying the advancement given them. That means someone else is pocketing .95 cents and quite frankly they don't deserve it. So yes the artist loses a nickle, but all things considered what does a nickle really matter? To this end many artists are now offering their music online with the option of paying what you wish - which ends up making them quite a lot of money dispite the folks who decide they have nothing to spare. 3.) Who is honestly suffering in this transaction? If a movie bankrolls several hundred million in the US alone should a person really feel guilty about an illegal torrent? Oh, poor Hollywood won't be getting my seven dollars in addition to the half billion they made opening weekend... how sad.
I don't rationalize it, I just do it sometimes. I don't really care about the music companies or whoever else. I just don't want to pay for something if I can get it for free.
I do somewhat rationalize it. However, I have been getting more into a habit of just getting cds from the library and important it into my itunes. At the same time, I can't afford to buy music, and I'm a person who listens to music everyday. I do try and support my favorite artists by going to concerts when they are local. A lot of musicians have actually stated that they are not against people downloading music.
I think there are valid reasons for both positions. In my particular case, I download music illegally, and I don't take into account the ethical reproach or legal character that exist about it. It is true that large companies with users usufruct, advertising and excessive prices of production, but I think that this isn't sufficient reason to rationalize this type of download. I like to choose cultural or sociological arguments, and give us a more authentic perspective on the digital era and broaden the field of discussion.
That's not true. Besides, if you go on popular torrent sites (like TPB) and find VIP or Trusted Uploaders, you will never ever get a virus or malware in your PC. I've downloaded hundreds of torrents and my PC never got infected. I don't find any of this immoral. If the information is there and is free to download, why shouldn't you do it? They call it "illegal" so that you either buy these stuff on iTunes or buy DVDs and BluRays for every thing you want to watch. I won't pay for them unless I want to.
Okay, I'll take your word for it. I thought the the US Gov't had seize control of TPB's domain and put them out of business. I guess not. I'm still not downloading any movies and music. I just don't feel the need.
Meh, there's a lot more immorality going on by the companies selling you the music and/or movies than by the person getting them for free. The amount of legal freedom record labels and movie production companies receive for no logical reason is downright terrifying (I believe it's WB that has gained the right to remove and Youtube video under claim of copyright without providing any form of proof).
I've never downloaded anything illegal. I'm too afraid to get caught and get fined with a lot money or end up going to jail by the U.S Government. Even though my friends tried to convince me to download illegal music, movies, and apps. I always knew it was a bad thing to do and it is not worth my time.
I guess there are many rationalizations for downloading copyrighted content. I personally don't rationalize it at all. I download quite frequently and have for as long as I can remember. I do have to admit it is morally questionable at best,but I guess by and large that gets ignored. I will say that one really great thing about downloading is that you more often than not get releases before they hit the shelves in stores. That alone would be enough to keep me downloading.
I don't rationalize either. I don't like paying a high price for something that is free. They make millions of dollars anyway. I did it alot in highschool.
I have been downloading software from some companies. Maybe you should also guys do it get even with them for selling the software too high that even updates are quite half its price. But maybe not because yhe law on internet already exist inyour country. Just let us domit for you.
I don't download music. I just watch the video on Youtube. If I feel a need to hear the song without going to Youtube, I buy the CD. One poster said that the artists make millions of dollars, but if everyone is stealing the music ,then it's impossible for the artists to make millions of dollars.You can't make money on something that no one is paying for.
I don't do it, and neither do I buy pirated copies of DVDs. It just seems wrong to me, and I can't get past that, despite the fact that people are making a lot of money out of the film and music industry. I will accept a copy of a music CD I like from a friend, and we'll copy CDs for others. I'm comfortable with that, because at least somebody bought the product to start with, so I consider that sharing rather than stealing.
