The Pirate Bay Trial

[Lemur]

Look, I was a working journo in the early to mid nineties, and my beat was the music industry. Trust me, they knew they were in trouble. Remember the dot-com bubble? When anything on teh internets was suddenly worth 500x earnings? They lived through that too. And they weren't able to jump on the easiest bandwagon in history.

If the music labels had launched a unified, easy-to-use online store, with no DRM and low prices, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It's astonishing that it took Apple (Apple!) to drag their fat, lazy bottoms into the internet age. And even then they insisted on low bitrates, DRM and high prices. Heck, they're still angry at Apple for not raising prices for them.

Anyway, with luck the movie industry will learn from the mistakes of the recording industry. Make it cheap, make it convenient, don't try to charge the same price for a virtual good as a physical one, and get on it now, before a generation gets used to the idea that films are free.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Look, I was a working journo in the early to mid nineties, and my beat was the music industry. Trust me, they knew they were in trouble. Remember the dot-com bubble? When anything on teh internets was suddenly worth 500x earnings? They lived through that too. And they weren't able to jump on the easiest bandwagon in history.

If the music labels had launched a unified, easy-to-use online store, with no DRM and low prices, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It's astonishing that it took Apple (Apple!) to drag their fat, lazy bottoms into the internet age. And even then they insisted on low bitrates, DRM and high prices. Heck, they're still angry at Apple for not raising prices for them.

Anyway, with luck the movie industry will learn from the mistakes of the recording industry. Make it cheap, make it convenient, don't try to charge the same price for a virtual good as a physical one, and get on it now, before a generation gets used to the idea that films are free.

Exactly, adapt or die. And what these companies are doing right now is trying to prevent progress by suing and dismantling the Internet and the threats its presents to them, which is impossible to begin with.

If we were really trying to uphold the capitalistic way, we would be making laws that state that companies can't be suing people for using or maintaining technology that presents a risk to their business model. They should be changing their business model to reflect and take advantage of the new changes in technology.

[Lemur]

I wrote a column about this in the early nineties, and I summarized my take this way (pardon the no-longer-timely metaphor): You can download the Starr Report for free online, but some thoughtful publisher put together a paper version, which is far easier to hold in one hand while you pleasure yourself. And guess what? The Starr Report has been a bestseller. The music industry thinks it's in a scarcity business, when in reality it's in a convenience business.

[Spino]

Look, I was a working journo in the early to mid nineties, and my beat was the music industry. Trust me, they knew they were in trouble. Remember the dot-com bubble? When anything on teh internets was suddenly worth 500x earnings? They lived through that too. And they weren't able to jump on the easiest bandwagon in history.

If the music labels had launched a unified, easy-to-use online store, with no DRM and low prices, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It's astonishing that it took Apple (Apple!) to drag their fat, lazy bottoms into the internet age. And even then they insisted on low bitrates, DRM and high prices. Heck, they're still angry at Apple for not raising prices for them.

Anyway, with luck the movie industry will learn from the mistakes of the recording industry. Make it cheap, make it convenient, don't try to charge the same price for a virtual good as a physical one, and get on it now, before a generation gets used to the idea that films are free.

The print industry is also being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century as it comes to terms with the fact that most people don't want to pony up $.50-1.00/day for a newspaper when they can get all their news for free online. Magazine subscriptions are down dramatically as well with big publishers like Time, Inc. scrambling to keep as many readers as possible.

The problem is there are too many old guard or closed minded captains of these sinking industries who refuse to abandon the sparkling financial models that worked during those halcyon days before teh internets wuz invented and subsequently exploited by young people with high IQs.

[Beirut]

Trying to kill The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites is like squeezing a handful of jello. It ain't gonna work.

To be honest, though, when I see albums from the 60s and 70s that have already sold eight-billion copies being pimped on CD for $21.95, well, these guys are just begging for people to steal their stuff. Little Johnny can shell out the $21.95 for Jimi Hendrix's Greatest Hits, or he can point and click and have the album in 21.95 minutes for free.

Gee, what's he going to do?

[HoreTore]

Trying to kill The Pirate Bay and other torrent sites is like squeezing a handful of jello. It ain't gonna work.

To be honest, though, when I see albums from the 60s and 70s that have already sold eight-billion copies being pimped on CD for $21.95, well, these guys are just begging for people to steal their stuff. Little Johnny can shell out the $21.95 for Jimi Hendrix's Greatest Hits, or he can point and click and have the album in 21.95 minutes for free.

Gee, what's he going to do?

Well put, sir.

Also, on the argument that "we're losing a lot of money because noone buys our music"... Has anyone heard any of the new music these days? I mean... I think I'd rather have my testicles sawn off than spend money to hear "Pokerface", "Halo" or any of that crap. I would, however, consider paying money to have the artists beaten.

[Husar]

But why is it illegal? Just because X is illegal does not automatically mean that X is bad.

For example because someone invested money and time into making it and wants some money in return?
Is that principle so alien to you? Do you also ask why taking a deodorant from a supermarket is illegal? I mean they're massproduced in China and they stand around there anyway, so why would taking them without paying be illegal?

Well put, sir.

Also, on the argument that "we're losing a lot of money because noone buys our music"... Has anyone heard any of the new music these days? I mean... I think I'd rather have my testicles sawn off than spend money to hear "Pokerface", "Halo" or any of that crap. I would, however, consider paying money to have the artists beaten.

Well, yes, of course, I could pay you 12000 EUR for your old overpriced car or throw a rock at your head, take it and escape the police for 12000 minutes so guess what I'm gonna do?

Man, if the music is that bad, then why are people pirating it? And if they are not pirating the bad music then your argument about music being so bad is completely invalid anyway.
If you don't like it there is an easy solution, don't freakin buy it, how the hell does that excuse stealing it? There are bad cars and noone buys them but noone steals them either.

When you get a massage, all you really get is someone's time and you pay for it in a massage salon, same for a brothel, just because you get nothing physical does not mean you can demand the service for free against the person's will, in the latter case it would be called rape.

Again, if it's not worth the money, stay away from it completely, if everybody agrees the company will go bankrupt, if you want it anyway then it can't be that bad and you should pay for it. It's quite simple.

[HoreTore]

Well, yes, of course, I could pay you 12000 EUR for your old overpriced car or throw a rock at your head, take it and escape the police for 12000 minutes so guess what I'm gonna do?

Man, if the music is that bad, then why are people pirating it? And if they are not pirating the bad music then your argument about music being so bad is completely invalid anyway.
If you don't like it there is an easy solution, don't freakin buy it, how the hell does that excuse stealing it? There are bad cars and noone buys them but noone steals them either.

When you get a massage, all you really get is someone's time and you pay for it in a massage salon, same for a brothel, just because you get nothing physical does not mean you can demand the service for free against the person's will, in the latter case it would be called rape.

Again, if it's not worth the money, stay away from it completely, if everybody agrees the company will go bankrupt, if you want it anyway then it can't be that bad and you should pay for it. It's quite simple.

I do stay away from 99% of the music made these days...

[Samurai Waki]

I wonder what they're going to do when countries like Russia start hosting torrent sites en-mass? Its not like they really give a damn about INTERPOL, or angry American Consumer Companies. Its all about teh monies.