These laws are from the 1930's aren't they? Perhaps you'll appreciate the input of a lowly African like myself.
The key points here are :
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"...the world's largest copy machine..."
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AND
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"There does have to be some kind of a public message that stealing is stealing is stealing," said Malcolm...
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To me, this is totally contradictory! What exactly is it that I'm "stealing?" Since when is a
COPY identical to the original? Are the RIAA insinuating that people are sharing disk images of entire albums; bundled with inserts, cover labels, warning stickers & even the disk itself; in an all-in-one, burn-it-on-the-fly-in-one-easy-step, pirated-CD-to-go format? This propoganda is ludicrous! To true fans (the vast majority of listeners) there is no substitute for the original, no matter how lossless the compression and limitless the bandwidth. The RIAA are merely scared because they're losing control over the fringe elements ie. the ones who are stone-deaf, trend-following, brainless wonders. I'm sure this constitutes a large part of their customer-base! Many alternative/indie labels have embraced this new medium. The only difference between radio & mp3s is the
choice & convenience. Of course the RIAA is scared of losing their monopoly as a result, hence the persecution of services like mp3.com which ironically gave people what they wanted.
Who's to say that someone's going to buy that CD anyway? Just because they search for it, it doesn't mean they've already looked up every track listing etc. with intent to 'pirate.' I sometimes share mp3s that I'll probably never listen to again just because I believe in the cause. (BTW I listen to labels like Century Media, Nuclear Blast & Spinefarm : I've never supported the RIAA & never will.)
As far as movies are concerned, even DVD rips are inferior to the original. eBooks are dismal in comparison with conventional books. You can get eye-strain from reading them, printing them is often difficult & it just doesn't feel like a book! Software is the only thing that could really be considered identical to the original, due to its digital nature. Then again, who says that someone would've paid $750 for Photoshop to begin with? (BTW The
GIMP beats Photoshop & it's totally free!) Software 'piracy' is Microsoft's main legacy (before their monopoly was created software could be modified & distributed freely, like under the GPL of today, as long as everyone was made aware of the authors) and they are
guilty of it themselves. As the saying goes "Piracy doesn't hurt pay software, it only hurts free software."
These companies are missing the picture completely! I live in a developing country (South Africa) & p2p has opened my eyes to anime, rpgs and music I could only dream of before! None of this stuff is available here. Since the equivalent of a SDSL connection (we don't have cable or anything much for that matter) costs US$600 per month (never mind the fact that you have to have a business license, be near the CBD & pay $2000+ for installation), I'd rather spend that money on importing DVD's, CD's, games, books etc.! It is true that satellite & other wireless connection methods are becoming available, but they're alot (3 times) more expensive than $30 for dialup and it'll take a long time as there's only one major telecomms company (previously government owned & has an even larger monopoly than M$) which is in the process of being dismantled/diversified.
The RIAA could easily (although this might be a violation of anti-trust laws) extend their monopoly into countries where even popular American artists are under-exposed. My mom likes Jimmy Buffet for example (don't know why) and for her it's less hassle to "pirate" something than to import it. With shipping and our ever-fluctuating exchange rate, it costs twice as much to import as to buy locally. Would you pay $35-40 for one CD? Didn't think so! I'd like to point out something that the RIAA/MPAA moguls might not know about. Granted, Blizzard does have a reputation for quality products, zealous fans & ease-of-use, and they also have a knack for creating blockbuster games titles. However when Warcraft 3 was released locally for +-$35, most other new titles were selling for $60 on average! I believe this further contributed to its blistering success in selling 6 million+ units. I'm sure it would be even easier for the RIAA etc. to use a similar strategy, both locally in the continental United States and internationally. Ironically this is what the people want, so they'll fight tooth and nail until they fall by the wayside!
It seems that corruption is part and parcel of the democratic way of governance, regardless of geography! It would be a shame for the self-proclaimed "land of the free" to sully its own image even further, considering the state of world politics today!
