Da Bikers | Preventing Piracy

Preventing Piracy: A Guide On How To Avoid Pirate Activities

Foreword

Preventing Piracy: A Guide On How To Avoid Pirate Activities

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Foreword:

I am a man who has despised piracy and the works of copyright thieves my entire life. As soon as I could understand what copyright was, I became a massive proponent for it and for what it stand for: Order, a bullwark against those who'd stoop so low as to steal someone else's idea and pawn it off as their own. @@ -50,27 +52,33 @@ how to resist the siren call of free stuff, and the most common / popular services currently used in modern copyright theft.

What IS Piracy Anyway?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines piracy as:

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What IS Piracy Anyway?

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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines piracy as:

- ... The unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright + ... The unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright

While the Cambridge Dictionary defines piracy as:

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While the Cambridge Dictionary defines piracy as:

- ... The act of illegally copying computer programs, recordings, films, etc. to sell them at much cheaper prices + ... The act of illegally copying computer programs, recordings, films, etc. to sell them at much cheaper prices

Now these definitions, while succinct, are insufficient for truly understanding what piracy is and what it entails. - What does it mean to "illegally" copy a piece of media, or to "infringe" on copyright? Maybe Wikipedia's definition - of piracy is better + What does it mean to "illegally" copy a piece of media, or to "infringe" on copyright? Maybe Wikipedia's definition + of piracy is better:

- Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without + Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. The copyright holder is typically the work's creator, or a publisher or other business to whom copyright has been assigned. Copyright holders routinely invoke legal and technological - measures to prevent and penalize copyright infringement + measures to prevent and penalize copyright infringement

Ok now we can work with this. Summarizing, piracy -- or copyright infringement -- is when someone does something to a copyrighted work without permission, like making a copy and redistributing it. This is, for the most part, the extent of piracy for most internet users: the copying and redistribution of a copyrighted work. The actual details of real @@ -78,7 +86,10 @@
TL:DR - Piracy is the unauthorized copying and redistribution of a copyrighted material

But Why Do People Pirate?

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But Why Do People Pirate?

People pirate for a multitude of reasons, all unacceptable, but some more "valid" than others. Some of these reasons include:

Flagrant Disregard: Some people simply disagree with the concept of copyright, and become pirates as they do not respect the law
etc.
Etc.: Other (still invalid) reasons not mentioned for lack of time

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Again, none of these reasons are valid excuses to break the law:

Pricing: Many things are unaffordable to the average person, such as a jet carrier. Should I be able to steal a jet carrier just because I selfishly believe the price I was given is "unrepresentative" of the actual value of the jet carrier? No! That would be completely preposterous.

"Trials": If a company wished to offer a demo of their software for the general public to trial their software and determine if they should purchase it, then they would simply offer the trial. Furthermore, acquiring a full copy of a piece of interactive media such as software or a video game is NOWHERE near a traditional "demo", as the entire content of the media is contained within the pirated copy. If the pirate didn't wish to pay for the real product, but still wanted to use it, there would be nothing preventing them from simply using the copy they already have

Availability: This is possibly the most understandable reason as to why someone would intentionally commit piracy, however it is yet again unacceptable. There is plenty of media that has been rendered exclusive to a specific piece of hardware, most notably game consoles. A game which is exclusive to Xbox or Playstation should not be pirated just because it's otherwise exclusive! That's like saying you should be able to steal one of the motors out of a Tesla brand car just because it has motors and your car doesn't!

DRM Removal: DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is implemented in a piece of software or media as a way to prevent pirates from stealing their product. However, sometimes the measures taken impact user experience and simultaneously fail to prevent pirates from stealing. This is unfortunate, yes, but wouldn't @@ -115,6 +130,7 @@ even more preposterous action to blame him for the injuries of innocents when it's the installer's fault for the faulty use. Don't blame DRM, blame the pirates. And if you can't blame the pirates for some reason, blame the companies who implement DRM in ways that harm the consumer

Flagrant Disregard: I shouldn't need to comment on this, but I shall regardless. We depend on law and order to keep the peace in modern society. When someone willingly goes against law and order, they are naturally enemies to society as whole and must be dealt with swiftly. While copyright infringement may feel like a @@ -123,6 +139,7 @@ from skirting the law in other places? Pirates are already stealing, so what's to prevent them from shoplifting or snatching purses from frail old ladies?

Avoiding Piracy In The Wild

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