Davy Jones Locker
Mar. 3rd, 2012 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
keiramarcosSomeone sent me an ebook this morning. A commercial ebook they hacked so they could pass it around to their friends. I responded to the email that I didn't want to receive such things in the future and that I had deleted the ebook without opening it.
Ebook piracy is a slap in the face of an author. In accepting a book like that, I'm telling that author they weren't worth money. I've been a writer for 25 years. I don't treat other writers that way.
Anyways, the person in question emails back is grossly offended by my "judgment" of her activities. I suppose she's waiting on an email where I tell her I wasn't judging her or her stealing. Well, she'll have a long wait. I totally judged her, measured her, and found her wanting. Really. I did.
It's theft. It's wrong. It's disgusting. I want no part of it. I don't pirate books. I don't download movies and I only watched one episode of a tv show illegally. Earlier in the year I watched the first episode of Sherlock on megaupload (before the implosion) and felt really guilty about it. I didn't watch the rest of the season as result and now I have to wait until it comes to Amazon so I can buy the season (which was how I rationalized watching it to begin with -- I always intended to buy it). Still, a moments of enjoyment left me feeling really guilty afterwards. It certainly wasn't what I've considered "fair use".
No matter how good that book might have been --reading a pirated copy would've been wrong and I would have eventually gone to buy it anyway just so I could feel better about myself. Because, yeah, that's right -- it's really all about me.
Ebook piracy is a slap in the face of an author. In accepting a book like that, I'm telling that author they weren't worth money. I've been a writer for 25 years. I don't treat other writers that way.
Anyways, the person in question emails back is grossly offended by my "judgment" of her activities. I suppose she's waiting on an email where I tell her I wasn't judging her or her stealing. Well, she'll have a long wait. I totally judged her, measured her, and found her wanting. Really. I did.
It's theft. It's wrong. It's disgusting. I want no part of it. I don't pirate books. I don't download movies and I only watched one episode of a tv show illegally. Earlier in the year I watched the first episode of Sherlock on megaupload (before the implosion) and felt really guilty about it. I didn't watch the rest of the season as result and now I have to wait until it comes to Amazon so I can buy the season (which was how I rationalized watching it to begin with -- I always intended to buy it). Still, a moments of enjoyment left me feeling really guilty afterwards. It certainly wasn't what I've considered "fair use".
No matter how good that book might have been --reading a pirated copy would've been wrong and I would have eventually gone to buy it anyway just so I could feel better about myself. Because, yeah, that's right -- it's really all about me.
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Date: 2012-03-03 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 07:27 pm (UTC)In the meantime I'm watching season 1 to hold me over.
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Date: 2012-03-04 04:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 07:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 08:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 06:06 pm (UTC)No one else seems to get it - the pro ebooks I have I've either paid for, are now public property (Little Women, etc) or were legit free from the publisher (thank you David Weber and Baen!!!) How can you enjoy art that the artist didn't give you permission for?
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Date: 2012-03-03 06:23 pm (UTC)Yes. This, exactly. Also, everyone has a talent, and these artists make money off of theirs. I look at it as, how would you like someone to swipe your paycheck? You wouldn't. So, don't do it to others. Legit free stuff is awesome, but, like your momma taught you, stealing is wrong.
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Date: 2012-03-03 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 06:24 pm (UTC)I understand the (not so well thought out) theory that 'art should be an expression of freedom and therefore should be free' -- but then explain to me how the artist / writer / musician / etc puts a roof over their head and food on the table? Hmmm?
And it is *really* all about you! ::snicker::
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Date: 2012-03-03 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 06:56 pm (UTC)My mother taught me not to steal and would smack me into the next state if I did any such thing. My brother-in-law gave me a pirated copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide movie and not only could I not watch it, I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it completely legally because I feel too guilty about even taking the disk. :(
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Date: 2012-03-04 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 03:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 08:11 pm (UTC)gentle journey,
twi
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Date: 2012-03-03 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 09:26 pm (UTC)In my youth, I had a membership to Napster before they were legal. It was a stupid thing to do. I did download music but never shared my own files. I deleted all of those files when Napster went legal.
These days I don't have a single mp3 that wasn't paid for. It's just not kosher. I realize that music companies have fucked over artists in the past and that often times they rarely see more than a few pennies per sale but for me the issue is clear.
I don't have the right to own music that I didn't pay for.
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Date: 2012-03-04 03:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 03:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-03 09:20 pm (UTC)I really hope that they listen this time.
~L
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Date: 2012-03-03 09:22 pm (UTC)I still loved get fanfic on megalaud, gonna miss that site though. It was the best place to get slashpodfic. sigh!
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Date: 2012-03-04 12:03 am (UTC)Frequently, an inability to do so will lead to me not reading/listening/watching it at all, and therefore, not buying.
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Date: 2012-03-04 12:25 am (UTC)OT: Alex O'Loughlin will be missing from at least one episode of H5O.
'Hawaii Five-0' star takes break from show
HONOLULU (AP) — A representative for Alex O'Loughlin says the "Hawaii Five-0" star is taking time away from the show to get treated for problems related to pain medication.
Rachael Wesolowski says in a report by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that O'Loughlin " is taking a short break to receive supervised treatment for prescription pain medication due to a recent shoulder injury."
Series producer CBS Television Studios and O'Loughlin representatives declined to comment on the nature of O'Loughlin's injuries or his treatment.
O'Loughlin, who portrays crime fighter Steve McGarrett, is known for doing many of his own stunts on the action-packed show. The paper says he reportedly will be absent for at least one episode.
CBS says in a statement that "everyone at CBS Television Studios and 'Hawaii Five-0' wishes him well and we look forward to his return."
http://news.yahoo.com/report-hawaii-five-0-star-takes-break-show-082250099.html;_ylt=AjUajVRCc73ytEt_Vr6wTUfNbbUC;_ylu=X3oDMTNqN2p1bTdxBGNjb2RlA2N0LmMEcGtnAzY2YzI2ODljLWY4NWUtMzA1Ni05YmQ4LTYwNmY0NDExM2E4NARwb3MDNwRzZWMDbW9zdF9wb3B1bGFyBHZlcgNjNTBiNGU1MC02NTdmLTExZTEtYWY3ZS02NWFiOTcxNzAxYWM-;_ylg=X3oDMTJiaDR2OG51BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50fGRlYXIgYWJieQRwdANzZWN0aW9ucwR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3
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Date: 2012-03-04 01:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 02:29 am (UTC)It is breathtakingly brillant.
watching
Date: 2012-03-04 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 07:47 am (UTC)(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 12:22 pm (UTC)Most books from American or British author's are readily available, some for music and movies. TV-series? Nope, if you aren't living in the country it aired originally, rich enough to pay trice as much as people in the country of origin and still want to take part in the fandom (which doesn't wait a year until the DVDs are available everywhere) you are fucked. And not in the good way.
I do pay for my copies. When they come out in my country.
(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-04 04:34 pm (UTC)Really? That's now that works around here. I don't have "zealous" minions and I certainly don't let them roast people on my behalf. I can do that all well and fine on my own. ;-)
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Date: 2012-03-04 05:42 pm (UTC)This has been a bone of contention in our house since the hubby and I have first met. After a lot of nagging and arguing and me pointing out that he was undermining our own bottom lone when I was drawing a salary from the publishing industry, we finally compromised. He only downloads stuff we already legitimately own in another format, or in the case of music he only keeps it for a month and then buys the CD if he still wants it.
Even that much makes me feel sleezy sometimes. I'm one of those who are still anxiously waiting for Sherlock to be available in the states! I haven't seen a single bit of season two yet.
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Date: 2012-03-04 07:33 pm (UTC)So while it is not a bought copy it is an authorized copy in a way. (And I helped them sell their merch that day, so no guilt from me)
I have ebooks mainly from Gutenberg (so copyright free) and some from give aways - the occasionally promo stuff.
I do admit to watching TV series episodes online, but I do not feel guilty about it at all. I intend to buy them once they are sold in my country, which often gets delayed due to the irritating habit of dubbing stuff before they put it out on tv and trying not to sell it till the season had their run on our tv dubbed. I refuse to watch them dubbed, so I watch them online (not download them) and buy once they are in the shops . This has more to do with the fact that I absolutely refuse to watch dubbed stuff than anything else. We still pay for tv and all. But I cannot stand dubbed stuff at all.
Occasionally I watch parts of a first episode if people are raving about a series and I have no idea if I will like it or not. Also occasionally I watch parts of an episode of something dubbed to find out the original voices
If I like something and plan to see/read/hear it all I will pay for it, (sooner or later in case of tv stuff).
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Date: 2012-03-04 08:48 pm (UTC)I have once or twice made a copy of a song or two from a borrowed DVD, but only when I have purchased that particular album at least twice (I am old enough that some of my music was purchased on LPs, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, and DVDs). The only other time was a Live at Lincoln Center performance of A Comedy of Errors, starring The Flying Karamozov Brothers and Emil the Excentric, televised about 25 years ago. I had a copy I recorded on VHS that my family just plain wore out. Lincoln Center has been begged and pleaded with and has refused to release a copy for sale, so when someone found a copy in a dusty corner in a PBS station and uploaded it, I downloaded it. I will, however, be very happy to pay for it, if Lincoln Center ever changes their minds.
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Date: 2012-03-06 02:11 am (UTC)I have never gotten music illegally (unless you count listening to songs on youtube... in which case then sort of, but I know of a number of singers that are actually glad when someone makes a vid out of their song/s because that will attract more people to buy them). I ask for iTunes gift cards with every holiday because I like supporting singers, especially those who aren't famous yet or who often get screwed over by their record company or the public.
I'm afraid I'm a bit worse about tv shows however. I have a netflix account which I always check first, but if something is not on netflix, then I often go find it to watch online somewhere else (Hulu when it's there... but more often megavideo until it was taken down). If I like the show, I buy it (see -> Sherlock and Stargate). I know it's probably wrong of me... but then again I watch 95% of my shows/movies on netflix. I didn't wait for Sherlock season 2 to come up because I knew that I would buy it the minute it because available for me so...
But on the subject of books... I love ebooks and I am passionate that authors should get every penny for the stories they create. In fact, I will sometimes pay for a single book twice (through physical copy and ebook)... I don't agree with illegal pirating of books and I don't think I ever will.
But there is my bias, I suppose.
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Date: 2012-03-08 08:53 am (UTC)It makes me crazy when an artist friend of mine does it. She gets a *tiny* bit of a pass for her youth, but not much of one -- the look on her face when I said 'I won't take a pirate -- artists deserve to be paid' was pretty priceless, though.
Intellectual property has value and should be valued by everyone who experiences it -- citing 'but artits don't get paid much per cd/book/wtf-ever' isn't an excuse to deny them what they *DO* get paid for it. Grrrrs.
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Date: 2012-03-08 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-08 05:07 pm (UTC)Your post inspired me to delete my torrent software and go out and buy CDs from my favorite artists. And it's a good thing, too--the new Florence + the Machine is amazing, and I'm happy to give her my vote to keep producing such wonderful art. ♥
Thank you for this post, hon.
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Date: 2012-03-14 07:44 am (UTC)That said - I'll admit that I recently bought a bootleg VHStoDVD copy of The Sentinel seasons 2/3/4. I purchased season 1 through Amazon legally, and I will be more than glad to purchase seasons 2/3/4 legally as well if and when they are ever released. But I am getting beyond annoyed at TPTB who release just *one* frakkin' season of an older show on DVD. It's lunacy.
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Date: 2012-03-15 06:01 am (UTC)