Piracy... but everyone else is doing it!....

Piracy is for sure a contentious issue that has of course been elevated through the downloading a film improvements and rise of technology. On your dictionary.com Piracy is defined as “the unauthorized publication, reproduction, or use of a copyrighted or patented work” and we have all seen the ads at the start of a DVD about piracy, but do we actually consider downloading a film as being on the same level as stealing a car, or a handbag. The immediate answer seems to be no, why? Perhaps it is because we are used to having unlimited access to anything on the internet or because laws produced around copyright infringement have not yet found an effective way of monitoring and prosecuting people who download illegally. I think it is easy to get into the headspace that by downloading the only people who are losing out are the corporations such as Microsoft or record companies or production companies; we as a society can no longer subscribe to the concept of ‘ignorance is bliss’ as we are now comfortable enough with technology and know enough about copyright infringement to understand that we are doing something illegal when we are downloading a song or a movie through P2P networks. Most people I know take the view of who cares it’s not like I am going to be arrested. Piracy however affects far more people than just big corporations, think about a New Zealand artist you like, their incomes would be severely impacted from piracy, not only that new artists are having to find new ways of getting their music out as record companies have to be more selective about who they sign. Also with the amount of movie downloading occurring there is bound to be an impact on the industry and the amount and quality of films produced slashed if they are unable to make a profit. Now I am not saying I am completely innocent as I have used P2P networks, however until there is a way for piracy to be (a) effectively monitored and (b) fair and equally punishable offences then piracy will continue to be a problem in society not only for corporations but also people like the artists who lose out as well.