I was talking with someone the other say who is pro-pirate.
She's also very articulate and makes an interesting argument for why it isn't illegal to download movies or TV shows: She's a huge fan, she buys everything when it comes out, but her local television provider doesn't show some of her favorite shows and they aren't on Hulu or YouTube so she hits the pirate sites. After all, she's a FAN! She'd give the producers money if they'd provide a way for her to have it, but since they won't she will go get her TV fix another way. Who's being hurt?
The more I thought about it the more this sounds like the Rapist Defense.
Try reading the argument like this...
"Look, I'm a big fan of women! I donate money to the battered women's shelter and some of my favorite people are female. All I wanted was a little sex with this chick, okay? She's gorgeous and I wanted to tap that. I would have taken her out to dinner first if she'd just say yes. I tried to get sex with her another way, but she wouldn't put out. Does she really expect me to wait? I want sex with her now! So I took it. What's wrong with that?"
Normal people will say that the problem with this is that the woman is not something to be objectified and if she didn't want to have a sexual relationship with this person then the matter ended there.
Piracy is the same. In this case the relationship is a creator/consumer interaction with the art being the medium of exchange. The Creator makes the Art and makes it available for certain Consumers. Pirates want the Art but are not the Consumer the Creator made the Art for, so the Pirate steals the Art.
The Pirate does not try to become the Consumer. The Pirate has no regard for the Creator. The Pirate does not want to promote Art or free expression (although they love to hide behind the label of Free Speech). The Pirate is a greedy, opportunistic rapist who will destroy everything in pursuit of what they feel entitled to.
Yes, you may consider yourself a fan of a TV show, musician, or author, but that doesn't entitle you to their work. An artist can create something they choose not to share with everyone, and being a fan of that artist does give you any right to demand it. It doesn't give you any right to steal it.
You are not entitled to someone else's body, their work, or their thoughts. You have no right to force them to share any of that with you.
Pirates are also people who just can't wait.
ReplyDeleteAll the popular TV shows put out DVDs of each season. Movies eventually come out on DVD. Stores that might not stock (for whatever insane reason) a particular TV series or types of movies will usually get them if they know there is a demand for them. If not, there's usually some site where you can order the DVDs.
Movies that are no longer under copyright because of their age can be downloaded legally. Same thing for music and books.
However, it takes anywhere from six months to a year for DVDs to be available and Pirates can't wait that long! They will never admit that it's money that they don't want to spend as well as time they would have to wait. No, the arguments they make are what you listed - not available in their area or on any of the legit sites.
After all, a Fan is up-to-date on the latest episodes of the shows and movies and is entitled to getting them whatever way possible. /sarcasm
I agree with your analogy! Having your work taken makes you feel as though you've been victimized in such a way. We should be careful in saying that no one has a right to an artist's "thoughts," though...I think of thoughts as something contributed to the public discussion. That's essentially what blogging is.
ReplyDeleteBut giving my thoughts away on the blog is my choice. I choose to give this away for free. I choose to give some of my writing away for free. That's my choice as the person creating the art/book/idea.
DeleteAt the end of the day I don't like people who say I owe them something when there isn't a contract on the table. No one is entitled to what I create.
I just think that we need to be careful about considering "thoughts" as proprietary. I can't copyright a thought, I can only copyright the creative expression of that thought in the form of prose or drawing or music or whatever. If we start holding our thoughts tightly, then ideas stop being discussed, and everyone suffers.
DeleteI guess what I'm saying is that thoughts in and of themselves don't constitute a creative expression.
I agree with your analogy! Having your work taken makes you feel as though you've been victimized in such a way. We should be careful in saying that no one has a right to an artist's "thoughts," though...I think of thoughts as something contributed to the public discussion. That's essentially what blogging is.
ReplyDelete