Piracy:
pi·ra·cy/
ˈpīrəsē /noun
noun: piracy
- the unauthorized use or reproduction of
another's work.
plural
noun: piracies
"software
piracy" synonyms: illegal
copying, plagiarism, copyright
infringement, bootlegging
At some point in all our digital lives, we
have been guilty of participating in this act.
Whether it was during my teenage years where one person would buy a
“tape” or CD and we would make a copy of it to more modern times where people
use online downloading programs to get whole CD’s, specific songs, or even
movies and videos before they even come out.
Another form of piracy that is prevalent
specifically in the black community is the idea or notion of finding the
“bootleg man” to get movies that have yet to be released on video. I know my family is guilty of this as they
have copies of movies I have yet to see.
My niece even got the remake of “Annie” on Christmas Day. She was excited even though the disc had no
cover art, came in no special case, and just had the words “Annie” written in
red sharpie on the disc itself.
As easy and as cheap as it is for us to get
our hands on these items, it hurts the artists, actors, and other staff who
rely on sales of music, movies, and videos for their livelihood. Morally, we all know it is wrong, but we
still continue to do it. Why is it that
even though we are taking “food” from the mouths of others do we continue to
pirate movies, videos, and music? Have
you ever been guilty of doing this? Do
you continue to do this? If you do, what
compels you to do so? If you have
stopped, what stopped you from doing so?
Do you think there should be harsher penalties for people who still
engage in piracy? What should those
penalties be?
Mr. C
This blog is due on Friday February 24 by 11:59
PM and should be AT LEAST 250 words.
I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting bootleg movies or copied CD’s. Movies that just come out on DVD’s are about 10-$30. Who is about to pay that money, when you can go get 3 for 10 from somebody in the mall or whatever. Me and my family used to get those kind of movies all the time. We just stopped because like that’s just old to me. Nobody really does that anymore like put a movie in a DVD Player? No. People now a days are watching movies on their laptop or they just go to the movies. I would’ve continued to watch bootleg movies but it’s just old to me now. People save money by buying bootleg DVD’s anyway like who doesn’t like saving money? I also used to buy copied CDs from like the flea market or mall. CDs are the same as DVDs I’m not paying 10-$20 for like 5 songs. I stopped because I don’t even know the last time I’ve been to a flea market. I don’t even think people go anymore. Today teens download apps on their phone. Any song any artist the app will have it. Teens in high school don’t have jobs, and most college students are really broke. I don’t think there should be any penalty against people who do that at all. People who sell them are making good money, so let them be. People who buy them are saving their money. It can be called stealing but so what.
Some part of me believe that getting bootleg movies and DVDs are bad but, another part is like there is nothing wrong. For example, plagiarizing is terribly wrong, copying movies, videos, and music isn’t. I believe people pirate movies, videos and music because the time the person isn’t financially stable, so instead of finding a job, they copy movies etc. Copying movies, music and videos can also help those who don’t have enough money to pay for a movie to at least get the same opportunity as someone else to see the movie. For plagiarism, I do think it is wrong to plagiarize because one is taking full credit for something that isn’t there’s, but for selling bootleg movies and movies I don’t think the people are taking full credit for that movie or video. They are just copying it to sell to others or to watch for themselves. The actors and the person who wrote the movie, music or video is still getting the full credit as if someone watched it at the movies. I have been guilty of piracy. I have plagiarized before in middle school, but that was before I knew that what I was doing was wrong and I was taking credit for someone else’s work. I have never made bootleg copies of movies, music, and videos because one I don’t even know how to get that process started and secondly I don’t find that useful for myself. I don’t think there should be a harsher penalty on those who engage in piracy because in some ways its benefiting someone. The basic penalty for those who plagiarize should get punished, for example, someone who plagiarizes some one’s paper should be held accountable. They should get a zero in the course or the course should be dropped.
I use to get bootleg movies each time I went to the barbershop because you could get three movies for only ten dollars. In my eyes that was a steal because it would save time and money than going to the movie theaters. Also the same way with music, I would spend all day looking for new albums online because paying thirteen dollars for an album wasn't affordable at the time. I used to do it all the time but those ways are played out because on our phones we have apps that let us stream music and it still supporting the artist. There's so many apps that offers free music igaly that there's no need to go through the hassle in downloading illegal music , for example apple music is only five dollars a month to college students and you get to choose from millions of songs and music genres . I think you can't punish people for stealing music because it's impossible to punish everyone that do it and it wouldn't be far to everyone.There's no possible way to know which people are stealing music because there is millions of websites, apps and programs that produce illegal music and once one website get shut down another one get created, it's a never ending cycle. I always think people will find a way around for not paying for music because people sometimes can't afford it.
I think people continue to pirate movies, CDs etc. because they can get it for a lower price rather than paying the original price in stores. Even though other people are selling an artist or actors products for the low, that particular artist or actor is still making money off of other sales. So, it would not hurt them too much, but I do not believe people who do this take this into consideration because they are trying to make money too. It is another reason why people continue to do this. I have been guilty of doing this, mostly buying bootleg movies. Every time me and my mom would pull up to a grocery store, there would always be a man in the parking lot with a trunk full of DVDs and CDs that he was trying to sell. If we did not see the movie yet, we would buy it from him. It helped us save a trip to the movie theaters. However, we do not do this anymore because of the quality of the movies and it is played out. I’m trying to watch the movie and someone is getting up and walking pass the screen. Also, because we have an Amazon fire stick now. It shows you any new movies or shows that has been released and it can stream live TV. I don’t think it should be penalties to people who pirate because I do not think it is that serious. People are going to continue to buy because it is cheap. As I’ve previously stated, they are just trying to make money. So let them be great.
Yes, I have been guilty of making bootleg CD’s using Lime wire and having someone burn a CD on my laptop to make my own copy. If you ever used Lime wire you know it gave your computer a bunch of viruses, you couldn’t get rid of and eventually your computer would crash. I feel like as people we continue to still buy bootlegs because it’s cheaper and usually you can get the movie before it even hits theatre. Us as people don’t think about the bigger picture and who we are hurting when we buy bootleg movies and CD’s. If it’s not hurting our pockets us as people could care less. I been stop purchasing bootleg movies a long time ago because technology has evolved so much that you don’t even need to buy movies any more. All you have to do is buy subscriptions for Hulu, Netflix, and etc. I think eventually companies are going to stop making DVD’s do to how much technology evolving so much. Netflix was hot for a minute and it still hot but the new thing is fire stick. A bunch of people of bought fire stick and said its better then Netflix because all you have to do is jail break it and you can watch any movie out there. What stopped me from buying bootleg movies is that I grew out of the stage of watching a bunch of movies, don’t get me wrong I still go to the movie theatre to watch certain movies but not like use to when I was younger. I don’t think there should be harsh penalties for people who piracy because everyone is out here trying to make a living.
I personally think that we view it more as saving money, as oppose to taking “food” from the mouths of others. Going to the movies, or purchasing albums/CDs can be very expensive. The movies cost about $10. This can be a stretch for a family of six, like mine. I know that when I was younger my family purchased movies and CDs from the “bootleg man”. It was very wrong, but it kept a lot of money in my family’s pocket. Today, piracy has only gotten worse. There are websites that play movies for free, and there are even Firesticks. It is very wrong, but it is very cheap.
I know that even now I am still guilty of piracy. My friend has a Firestick, and we watch that a lot. It keeps us from having to catch an Uber to the movies, and it keeps us from spending money at the movies.
The penalties that are in action for piracy are not to forceful, being that piracy is still very common. I am not sure if it is hard to catch individual’s guilty of piracy, or what, but if it is so important, I feel as if stricter laws would be enforced. The actors and so forth, are still reaping a majority of the benefits from their work. I know it’s wrong, but it does not seem to me as if the people involved with the films are affected too badly.
If stricter laws were to be enforced, I would suggest larger fines. For instance, for every disc copied, the individual should be responsible for paying the retail that the disc would be if it were released legally.
I feel that the whole piracy thing towards movies, music, and videos isn’t as bad as it could be. Some make it seem like people who sell bootleg movies are taking responsibility for the entire movie itself and taking credit, but they’re only trying to help other out by selling the movie for a cheaper price to give more people the opportunity to see movies. Movie’s aren’t cheap and neither is music. People put a pretty decent price on music albums, and music applications, such as Spotify. Why would you pay for music when you can just get it for free? I am very guilty of downloading free music and using a movie website to watch movies. I’m not a huge fan of getting bootleg movies from a person because I can’t deal with how terrible the quality can possibly be. But as a college student, I feel like I should be able get some type of free music or a discount. Right now, I have apple music, but they gave a discount to college students so they’ll only have to pay $4.99 a month, which isn’t too bad in my opinion. I don’t think there should be penalties for people doing piracy for these specific reasons. Now if it’s something worse, like claiming some else’s work as their own, then maybe there should be a punishment for someone doing that. I feel that people that use music and movies shouldn’t be penalized, because it such a small act I my opinion.
Personally I have been downloading music illegally for as long as I can remember. I didn’t think anything of it because I figured the people I listen to are all rich, but if things like piracy wasn’t happening then those artist would probably be even more wealthy. However the only services I still use is Spinrilla because of its access to early unreleased music, and free movie sites because access to them in my room saves time and money. I don’t feel it’s that bad because I still have subscriptions with apple music, Netflix, and Hulu which I believe distributes some sort of profit back to artist and actors. Although I have gotten bootlegs in the past because of the deals. Who would turn down 3 movies for $15 instead of paying $15 to see one in theatres. It is easy to find people in black communities selling these outside of local grocery stores because they bring in a lot of clientele. I don’t feel bad because I still go to the movies but all these alternate options are more convenient to me so I have no problem using them to my advantage. I think people who produced the piracy products should be penalized however it should be harsh because it’s not going to stop the issue at hand. If anything the owners of the music and movies should ask for a percentage of what the piracies made instead of just having them convicted for the piracy and benefit from it themselves.
It is wrong to pirate movies, videos, and music because it is the way the producers, musicians, etc. get paid. We continue to pirate because we don’t think about the fact that these movies and the music are ways that these people put food on the table for their families and by us pirating we affect that. While it is wrong I am guilty of this, only with music, I get all my music for free if I can and whatever I have to pay for I just try to find it somewhere else for free. I do this because I think it is pointless to pay for music, but what i don’t think about is the fact that this is how musicians make a living. If I were a musician I would be mad if I knew people were getting the music I put my heart into for free. While this isn’t going to make me stop doing it, it is an eye opening thought. Nobody wants to pay full price for a movie or pay for a song or an album. My family altogether has stopped buying bootleg copies because it is wrong and while it is just as wrong as my music, I still refuse to pay for music. The penalty for piracy for a first time offender shouldn’t be too serious, it should just be if you catch them take away all the merchandise they have and the money they’ve made so far. If the same person does it again maybe a few days in jail, and if the person gets out of hand then make them do real prison time, maybe a year or two.
I think people continue to buy bootleg movies, videos, as well as music from others because it saves them money in the process. When i was growing up my family did not really go to the movies that often. If we were to go to the movies we would have to pay to get in as well as pay for snacks because we all knew that we would want them. We would buy the bootleg movies from people in our neighborhood and usually get a least 3 movies for no more than 10 dollars. These movies were usually the latest movies out. We were able to watch them right in our home for much less than going to see it at the movies. To this day my family still continues to buy these movies because it still is the cheaper way of seeing them. A lot of people tend to go to the movies in the evenings, which usually costs about $10.50 for adults and $7.50 for children. When people see that you can watch a movie for cheap, right in their own home they will tend to go the cheaper route. I do not think that their should any harsher penalties for “piracy” or bootlegging because a lot of people do it and that means a lot of people would get penalized for it. Everything should just stay the way it is because it is a great money saver while being able to do something that everyone will enjoy. This is more prevalent in the black communities so more blacks would get in trouble if there were more harsher penalties. I understand that it takes away from others that are making those movies and music, but they are still making money either way.
I am guilty of making and buying bootleg cd’s from line wire and frostwire because I got what music I wanted for free. Why pay for something if you can get it for free. Yes its illegal and all if you get caught doing it but what’s the likely chance if you’re at home doing it and not selling them to other people. Just the same for DVDs. I go to get my haircut at the barbershop and someone walks in asking if anyone wants to buy any movies and they pull out a copy of each movie telling what they’re about. The only thing I didn’t like about the bootleg DVDs is that the seller would say it was good graphics and when you watch it, its hella bootleg with Chinese writing at the bottom and then won’t see him for the longest. I haven’t brought anything bootleg or made anything bootleg in years. Technology has beat bootlegs even though you have to pay something for it. We have apple music and pay 10 dollars a month to listen to whatever we want long as you pay every month. For movies, we have Netflix, Hulu, HBO now, etc and pay a set fee a month. Selling bootlegs is bad but I don’t think there should be a harsh punishment for it. But there is a harsh penalty. Criminal charges may leave you with a felony record, accompanied by up to five years of jail time and fines up to $250,000.
Wow! This is a hard one. I am guilty of purchasing/owning “bootleg” movies as well as downloading music from various artist off the internet. Personally, I feel that there is nothing wrong with doing it at all but in you saying that it hurts the artist that we take the music from, it has me thinking about what I’m doing. I do not know if it’s completely wrong to do because you must look at it from both sides. On the first side, you have people that say that it’s wrong to download free copies of artist and actors works because they get no money from it. On the other side, you have people that download music and videos for free for their own purposes. My purpose for downloading music from my favorite artist for free is for the simple reason that, I’m in college and I am currently broke as of now. I do not have money to spend on music but I feel that the reason that most artist that I listen to make music is for the message that is inside of their music and not so much because of the money they accrue from it. Do not get me wrong I fully support the artist that I listen to and when I have money I do go out and buy an actual copy of that artist’s album, but I cannot do that right now because I don’t have extra money to spend on something like that.
I have been guilty of piracy especially when I was younger when we use to record using tapes for our music sessions. I do not think that punishment should be harsh unless its regarding pirating online. Mainly because if it is done for enjoyment and not a published work. If its for enjoyment the punisment should be a fine but otherwise it should be less than 30 days in jail in conjunction with a fine.
I think it because we all know that anyone in a big movie is still going to make more money than an ordinary worker. Also, most movies make up close to millions of dollars at a time. So, it’s not like they are only getting paid once. Yes, everyone has been guilty of doing this at different times of their lives. When I have been a part of it, I really didn’t even think this about it to be honest. I think it was because I was very young at the time, that’s why because I couldn’t understand what I was doing. No because I’m in college and I don’t have the money to spend on movies that aren’t in a great viewing. Now I just wait to go see them when I can and if I have the money. Like I said before I just don’t know anyone or want to spend my money like that. In the end, it’s just a waste of time. Do you think there should be harsher penalties for people who still engage in piracy? Personally, I don’t think it should even be considered a crime because it’s not worth the time to arrest somebody and that’s wasted money. What should those penalties be? Think about how much time and money will be wasted arresting people for somethings that not even hurting anyone. I have never heard of someone dying from something like this. There should not be any penalties for selling a movie.
In addition,when i think about artist who make their livlyhood by the purchasing of music then in that context its stealing. Who doesnt buy bootleg though? Artists only get like 27 cent off their record maybe for it to be fair the artist should get more money so if the artist should not be affected as much. Beyonce is innovative as her husband and her created spotify for her to release their music and own their respective labels so maybe otjer artists need to follow their lead....
Piracy was most certainly more common in the past than the present but it still exists and is being done by many people, including myself. I feel like the pros defiantly outweigh the cons. This act not only saves time but money as well. You don’t have to wait to go to the movie theaters to watch the movie and pay $10 dollars when you get there. Bootleg men are popular in black communities, in my grandmother’s neighborhood there is a bootleg man that sells 3 movies for $10 with great quality. I prefer watching movies in the comfort of my home with a bowl of popcorn than going to the movies. I also feel like the actors, or whomever it may be deserves their profit but they are already rich and well taken care of. Although the extra money wouldn’t hurt they still will live comfortably and financially stable regardless. Instead of buying bootlegs I usually go to movie websites where I don’t have to pay anything which is very satisfying to me because I love saving money anytime that I can. Not only do I visit these websites, I’m also guilty of downloading music from apps such as Spinrilla or Mp3Music, I’ve considered downloading itunes but I feel that every penny counts so why spend it on something you can find for free. I feel that there should be no penalties. If the actors and artist weren’t famous majority of them would be participating in this act as well.
As people we take “food” from the mouths of others because we either cannot afford it, just do not want to pay or there is an easier route. People like to take the easier route which has less involvement and not much pay. Yes, I have been guilty of piracy, me being a college student right now, I can say I like to take the easier route but I know at the same time it is not right. For example, I like to watch movies so I see all the new movies that goes to theaters a few days after by watching them on a site, by doing this I do not have to pay and I get to see the new movie. Yes I continued to do this because not until today from reading this blog, I haven’t thought of it as piracy and companies or artist not getting their money. I think what compels me to do this is the fact of wanting to see or hear something and its free. The big idea of this whole situation is people rather spend less money so they will do anything to prevent that. I do not think people think this is a crime personally because in today’s society the internet has evolved so much that theirs so many different ways you could receive something that you didn’t pay for. People just see it as helping others out not taking away from others. I think the companies or people should go up on their privacy and secret to prevent people from being able to do this such thing.
I believe there is nothing wrong with selling or buying “Bootleg” movies and CDs but it has its pros and cons. Lower income families may not have the money for a CD or movie that is originally $20 to $30, but can get it from someone much cheaper for about $10.00 or less. Even if they aren’t low incomers our generation will make a way around anything that is possible and go the cheapest way. People don’t intentionally try to take money from the owners of the movies, videos, and music they are trying to look out for themselves with paying a high price when it’s possible to find it cheaper. I am guilty for buying black marketed CDs and DVDs, especially when a good movie comes out. I know exactly where to go while the bootleg men stands in front of stores to convince everyone to buy the newest movies out. Today every since I’ve been in college I haven’t been buying them, because I can now google free movies that has came out about a week after it has been in the theaters. I don’t think people should be harshly penalties for such a little crime, that hustle may pay some people bills, take care of their family and care for themselves. I most they should do is make it so they can not sell the CDs or DVDs days after it was published, you have to wait 4 weeks to a month after it was aired.
I’m guilty of piracy. I know it’s not the right thing to do but sometimes I still do it anyway. Growing up, I didn’t know it was wrong to copy down what someone else said. I felt that if you did the work and answered all the questions you were good. I believe around fifth grade was when teachers started get serious about not plagiarizing. After that, I didn’t plagiarize as much but I’ll admit to still doing it. The main reason for continuing to plagiarize was the fact that I procrastinate a lot. I would late to the last minute to do something and then just go online and copy and paste something really quick. The reason that people download new / “fresh out the box” music or illegal movies is obvious, it saves money and it requires almost no energy to do. Most people don’t even know the price of a CD anymore. Most think if you can get something for free online somewhere why go to a store and pay to get it. I know back in the city, almost every corner had a bootleg man who had all the new music, movies and that mixtape they always swore would be some fire for good prices. Even though the quality of the merchandise wasn’t always the best, people still felt it was cheaper than going to get or see the real thing. I know it’s wrong and shouldn’t go unpunished but in Americas society today even the President would get in trouble. The best thing that can be done right now without causing a bigger issue is to continue to crack down on illegal websites that give free downloads even though that would not sit well with many.
Unauthorized use or reproduction of somebodies work or piracy is something that I have been around a lot growing up in the black communinity. When I was younger I used websites like limewire to illegally download music because I didn’t have money to go out and buy all my favorite artist cds, I no longer illegally download music since I now have a job and also apple music (which is probably the best 5.35 I pay every month). Even though I have stopped using illegal music websites I still use illegal websites to watch movies, sites such as megavideo, 123movies and even the livestreams of movies on facebook, these websites have multiple movies to choose from and often have the newest titles, even though I have hulu and Netflix I always find my way back to these sites. Going through my families dvds I see a lot of blank cds I think that it has been something passed down per generation. I believe many people look at it as its not directly hurting me so what’s the purpose, you look at all the famous people that are featured in the movies or the directors who shoot it, they have all of this money so who is it really hurting that much many people don’t look at it as well if I’m doing it just think of how many other people are using this same website or using this same movie. I believe that the punishments for pirating things are completely non existent everybody sees the warning before a movie begins but who really pays attention to it. I don’t believe that punishment should be harder for the person who buys or watches things on the site but the main bootlegger should be the person who getting in more trouble.
Personally I think there is nothing wrong with getting a bootleg version of a movie if the individual cannot afford the original copy. With purchasing a bootleg version of a movie, it takes away the profit from the creator of that movie. Purchasing a bootleg version of a movie doesn’t support the movie maker, but it supports the individual who recorded the movie. If a family wants to see a movie but can’t afford the original copy, they should be able to buy a bootleg version for less than the original cost. Also with purchasing a bootleg version the individual would save money. When I was young my family used to get the bootleg version of a movie. Most families around me when I was younger also did the same thing. I don’t think there should be a major penalty for piracy. I think there should be a fine on the individual who is caught committing piracy. Also I used to purchase CD’s that were cheaper than the original price instead of purchasing an album in the store. I currently download songs off music apps instead of paying for an album. I don’t think the albums are at a good price for me to purchase them. If I can get something for free or the next best thing towards it then I have no problem on getting it.
Buying from “bootleggers” is beneficial to certain people in ways such as its convenience and efficiency. Personally do not see anything wrong with buying from the “bootleg man”. I do definitely understand it as “taking out of someone’s mouth”, however how do you expect to profit from releasing movies, cds,etc when it may be too expensive to enjoy. The person that is supposed to make profit from the movie is going to make his/her money either way it goes.Regardless of how many bootleg people there are, no significant amount of food will be removed from their mouth.Even though piracy is very commonly known to be established as illegal, it is beneficial to certain people. For example, I have bought movies from the bootleg man multiple times. Nothing has ever hindered me from purchasing items from these people and I don't think anything will honestly. It saves me money and also puts money in someone's pocket. It's still a good deed in some way. Why go to the movies for $10 or wait for the movie to be released on DVD/Blu-ray for $15 when you can buy the movie and still stay within your means for about $5. There shouldn't be any punishments or consequences that the “bootleggers” should have to suffer. I say this because I personally do not feel as if any harm is being done. No food is being taken out of anyone's mouth. It's a win-win situation because everybody is making money and everyone is eating.
I think people copy movies because it’s cheaper. When you go to the movies, it’s going to cost you 8 to 10 dollars easily. But if you go to your local barbershop you can get about 3 “bootleg” movies for the same price. So it’s a lot cheaper. With music, cd’s have ridiculous prices. At least 10-15 for one when it first comes out. But if you just go to the flea market or the barbershop its most likely going to be 2 CDS for 5 dollars. I am guilty of buying these DVDs and CDs years ago. I’d also burn my own cds, with the music I downloaded off the internet. When I was younger my brother used to get a CD and upload it to the computer. Then burn me a copy of the cd so we would both have it. I don’t think piracy is bad, because the majority of these rappers and actors are very well off. Rappers and artist get paid crazy amounts for doing shows or just showing their face somewhere. If we were taking money from them, I don’t think it’s enough for them to realize it. Actors get paid 100s of thousand to play in movies, so they could probably care less about the people streaming the movies over the internet or getting them illegally. I haven’t bought one of these movies or CDs in a while now. There’s streaming movie websites where you can watch them for free right after they drop into the movies. Also there are a lot of apps that you can use to stream music on your phone as long as you are connected to the internet. There’s really no reason to have CD’s or DVDs anymore. As long as you have a computer with internet access. You can get about everything you want for free.
Buying bootleg movies, CD’s, and DVD’s are bad in a way, but right in so many. Yes, I am guilty of buying bootleg movies, and downloading music illegally. I think there is nothing wrong with purchasing bootleg movies, it honestly saves money. When movies come out in the theaters, tickets range from $11 to $13 and that is a lot compared to paying $3 to $5 for a bootleg movie. I don’t have to download music illegally now. There’s so many apps now where you can stream albums for free like; Apple Music, Spinrilla, Spotify, etc. Piracy exists today still, and probably is going to get worst. A big example of it now would be the Firestick. The firestick has over a million movies and TV shows from back in the day to now. Most movies that come out in theaters are downloaded to the firestick, and can be watched for free. I don’t think there should be harsh punishment for piracy; because everybody does it in a way and they may don’t even realize it. For plagiarism, I honestly think it’s bad to do. People are always trying to take another persons’ idea and make it seem like it there’s. There should be a huge punishment for this, because you shouldn’t take credit for something that is not yours. Students know this first hand, and there are major consequences for plagiarism in school and I think that is good. Plagiarism is something that everybody knows is wrong to do!
I feel I only do it to save my own money. If I know that a movie is online, I would choose to watch it online than to go to the movies and pay. It is the same for me with music, I have never bought or purchased a song from iTunes. I would either wait for a couple of weeks to a month and then search for it and download it. I have not even purchased a movie or a song in forever, to be exact. I continue to watch movies online and download songs for free. I don’t think there should be any harsh penalties. I feel that there should only be penalties for those who choose to copyright and then attempt to resell. But, I really don’t think there should be “harsh” penalties because I do not think that it is as serious or deep as people who oppose make it seem. For instance, downloading a movie to a DVD and marking on it the title, then going out to the public to sell. I have not purchased a “bootleg” movie or DVD in forever. Like, who really wants to spend their hard-earned money to see people walking in the camera or laughing throughout the whole film. I’m more of a home-body which is what compels me to continue to watch movies online instead of attending the movies. I’m also a cheap person. I would rather be home in my bed, comfortable, watching a movie for free online and eating my own snacks than going to the movies to pay more than 20 dollars to watch a movie and buy snacks and drinks.
I never thought anything wrong with piracy as a child. In my community, we just called it getting bootleg movies. In my neighborhood I could buy one movie for $5 or two for $7. I just looked at it as getting the same thing for cheap. Why would I pay 11 something for the same thing. I had no thought about me stealing from the artists or actors. On my laptop I would find sites to illegally download music just because I did not want to pay $1.29 per song or $10.99 for a whole album. IN all actuality, it is wrong what I was doing. I didn't think it was affecting the artist or actor just because they already have thousands and millions of dollars. If no one pirated their work, they would have so much more money. This age, I pay for apple music and Netflix to stream. I go to the movies on $5.00 Tuesdays and when I am feeling fancy I will go on the weekends. There is the occasional time when I watch movies on a free site. It is only when I can't find it on tv or Netflix.
I never thought anything wrong with piracy as a child. In my community, we just called it getting bootleg movies. In my neighborhood I could buy one movie for $5 or two for $7. I just looked at it as getting the same thing for cheap. Why would I pay 11 something for the same thing. I had no thought about me stealing from the artists or actors. On my laptop I would find sites to illegally download music just because I did not want to pay $1.29 per song or $10.99 for a whole album. IN all actuality, it is wrong what I was doing. I didn't think it was affecting the artist or actor just because they already have thousands and millions of dollars. If no one pirated their work, they would have so much more money. This age, I pay for apple music and Netflix to stream. I go to the movies on $5.00 Tuesdays and when I am feeling fancy I will go on the weekends. There is the occasional time when I watch movies on a free site. It is only when I can't find it on tv or Netflix.
I am guilty of pirating music because I find it as a easy way out of buying music. Bootleg movies were never a big deal to anyone that I grew up around or music so I never really thought of it in a big way until I found that it was illegal to do and I could get in trouble for it. Of course I do not participate anymore because of the consequences that could come with it. The reason I stopped is because I'm scared of the police and I don't want any trouble with anyone. I think there should be penelties for people's actions but never to the point where someone could end up in jail there are way more harsh crimes going on in the world. Those penelties should be tickets or some sort of punishment as that.
Honestly I think they make movies private to make money in theaters. Also so the producer can get money for the great work that they did on the movie.I have been guilty of piracy my mother use to go to the barbershop and get them from the “bootleg-man”. After my mom grew her hair out we stopped buying them, we stopped because we didn't like the quality of the movie nor the sound of it. The quality of the movie was very bad compared to the actually movie because it is recorded the movies normally. Also you don't get to see the whole movie, sometimes it's noises in the back ground and sometimes it has a part of a different movie in it.I don't think it should be any penalties really I mean it is copyright but almost everyone in this world has had a bootleg movie lifetime. I also had some CDs that was bootlegged, but we stopped getting them because eventually CDs went out of style. And hardly no one was buying CDs because smartphones became popular an they had online streaming so you can listen and buy music. But bootlegged music was very better quality than the movies were. Also they were cheaper than the prices in the store, and easier to get to them because most of them were right at the corner store up the street from their house. Which is helping people out because some people don't have cars to get around.
I would agree that, especially in the black community, finding the “bootleg man” is very popular. Since I was a little girl, getting black-market movies have always been a thing for some people. For the most part, it is only well known in black families. Although I was not brought up in the age, where people would copy CD’s and things of that nature, I have seen where older people would have these illegal items. My peers grew up on downloading items from websites and putting them on CD’s or electronic devices. Which technically is the same thing, just different methods but the same results. In my generation, we always had to have the latest movies but most importantly the latest music. I also would agree that this method of doing things is easy, and cheap for us but it hurts the people who create and develop these works. Just like many other situations, we all know that this is wrong but some still choose to participate in these illegal activities. Growing up I will admit that I was guilty of this but now of days not so much. Although I do think it is wrong, I did not stop doing it because of that reason, just simply because I did not need to anymore. Most applications today, allow you to watch and listen to these things for small prices without you having to illegally download them. I would not say that the penalties should be harsher but people should monitor these sites more often.
Pirating is something that everyone has done at least once in their life whether it was with their friends or if you didn’t have anyone to go to the movies with whatever the case may be. I believe that we do this because, it is more convenient than going to the movies or going to your local music store to purchase the album. Also, it is less expensive to buy the movie than to go watch it in the movie theatre. I am guilty of pirating music and movies, most of the movies I watch are viewed on a website where you can watch movies. I listen to most of my music on Apple Music but if I can’t find it on there I will go to an app I have called Spinrilla that usually has the songs on there even though they might be posted by another person. I do this because, I don’t really have the money to go to the movies all the time. Another reason I do this is because, I don’t have the funds to buy music just to buy it. What if I don’t like it? Then I wasted money on something I didn’t like. Even though pirating is messing up the amount of sales movies and music make I feel as though there shouldn’t be harsher penalties for people who commit this crime because, you never know what people are going through and I don’t think they should miss out on good music or good movies just because they don’t have the money enjoy them. That’s just how I feel about the crime that is really affecting the entertainment industry.
Pirating movies are well known within my family or any black community. Many people have done this to go around paying full price to see a movie. I am guilty of taking/pirating movies and music only because its more convenient for me. I take free music more than I take pirated movies. If I cant find the music on Apple Music then I will use spinrilla or soundcloud, which are music apps that other people than the original owners post. Nobody has the money or nobody wants to be spending unnecessary money on things we can get around on. I think pirating is wrong now that I have been asked these questions, only because we are messing up the marketing system and the sales of music and movies. Penalties shouldn't be harsher because its just unnecessary. As many other crimes going on and this is one that people are trying to worry about.