Quote Originally Posted by Papewaio
The lack of IP protection is not a good thing for a country. Many companies will not invest into a country that has a poor IP track record. Those countries that have a poor IP protection record tend to be technological backward and finacially worse off.

By protecting IP countries develop quicker and become havens for technology investment.

Piracy happens around the world, but it definitly is proportional to how poor the socio-economics of the country is. In a well off country PCs, consoles and games are relatively cheap. Part of the solution in creating a more viable modern economy is IP protection, that and creating a knowledge economy... but if you don't protect the IP then there is little point in a knowledge economy... it would be the equivalent of being a primary producer but letting anyone steal farm animals because they feel like it.

Piracy is simply stealing... and a country that steals IP reflects the level of the locals... relatively uncivilised.
Well I wouldnt call Hellas uncivilised...
Member of EU since 1981.
Held SUCCESFUL (as far as the hosting is concerned) OLYMPIC GAMES.
Economy in a quite stable and high level.
Life standard not so low as many Greeks would like you to believe.

Pirate Bay is based in Sweden, I wouldnt call Sweden a poor or uncivilised country.
Russia has a decent share of global piracy but C.A. Officially localised RTW in Russian (using a third party company) without second thought...

In Greece the internet connections are quite expensive, 50 euros for a 384kbps line? Its 45 euros for a 8mbps line in UK...
So its very hard to download games in Greece without making ISPs rich...
There is also this sense of "rebellion" as many times the IP owners are multinantional colossal corporations, and with the whole anti corporal/anti american attitude in the Greek public one can see the rootes of the problem...

Hellenes