Don't forget about video games

Often we as the population only seem to think that digital piracy is just music and video files, mainly because it is the most common and easiest form of piracy. There also are tons of video games being copied from BitTorrents and pirated illegally. According to Science Daily 12.6 million people in over 250 countries are using these peer to peer torrents to share game files of the most popular game titles. Grant it most of these titles are computer games because it is way easier to modify the computer code to play a bootlegged game, rather than having a completely modded game console to play pirated games such as Xbox or Playstation. It is also suggested that the downloading of these such pirated games are way too high and are only continuing to climb, especially with the advancement to technology in the last five years. This has become a big deal for gaming companies and publishers because unlike artists and videos there are no other ways of income for games. A game is produced and you buy it, that is about it. Should there be a high fine or bigger criminal charges for video game piracy? Or should it be the same as everything else?

Benefits to Piracy?

In this article according to Oxford researchers, companies that have been hit by pirates may actually benefit. It is said that the product is actually promoted through the piracy. A great point was made in the article; why do some companies spend thousands of dollars on protection firewalls and software, but on the other hand there are companies that do not want or care to spend that kind of money to protect their data, coincidence? A person might value a companies product but does not want to pay the money they are asking for it. In this case, the person might "copy" the companies product and then give it great reviews to their peers. This word of mouth marketing is one of the best marketing techniques to help a product grow and prosper.

The costs of digital piracy

Although many people view online piracy as a victimless crime, it does have very serious consequences. An article by the BBC went into detail about how an online pirate, Xiang Li, managed to illegally download and sell over $100 million worth of copyrighted material. Most of the material came from Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and Rockwell. These programs generally sell from a few hundred dollars to upwards of one million. Li was selling them between $20-$1,200 a piece, costing the copyright holders millions of dollars. A study conducted by Dennis Blair claimed that "IP theft was costing the US an estimated $300 billion each year." There were also significant consequences for Mr. Li, as he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime. Although many people feel no remorse for illegally downloading a few songs or even a movie, do you think that there should be harsher punishments for people that are taking away millions of dollars from US technology firms? 

To support or not support? That is the question!

Usually, when we picture someone illegally downloading their favorite movie or song, we think of a young adult or teenager.

Well, according to the Australasian Performing Right Assoc, there seems to be a much stronger correlation between piracy and those earning over $100,000---once again, people like our well-educated, government officials.

Now, I would have thought, “They have money, so they would have no reason to illegally download.” Wrong! It seems it has nothing to do with money actually. Supposedly, it is because the more well off the person is, the greater the chance of having access to sources that allows them to download material.

But, do you know what else they found? “Seven percent of all respondents disagreed the work of musicians, authors, filmmakers and other artists should be paid for if the creative work were made available for sale in a retail store.” (Bodey).Although, these finding were in Australia, I’m pretty sure America wouldn’t be far off.

Do you feel piracy should be illegal? Do you picture yourself ever reforming, leaving digital piracy behind? Should we support our musicians, artists, and authors by paying for their work?



Bodey, Michael. "Online Piracy Appeals Most to Those Who Are Better Educated." The Australian. N.p.,    10 June 2013. Web. 12 June 2013.

The war on internet pirates

The war on internet piracy is an ongoing battle with no end in sight. Between BitTorrent downloads, online cloud computing torrent sites and the traditional torrent websites, piracy is more prevalent now more than ever. Although there have been many attempts at shutting these sites down, more pop up each day.
This article by the New York Times details the efforts of the copyright owner's trying to take down their material from these sites and the hurdles that they must overcome to get what they want.
Do you think there will ever be an end to online piracy?

You might find it surprising to know that people other than middle-class Americans are participating in online piracy.

According to a report by Elizabeth Flock, a staff writer for U.S. News and World Report, people working in the congressional office are illegally downloading seasons of Dexter, The Middle, CSI: New York, and much, much more. I don't know what's worse: their choice of TV episodes or their bad decision making skills.

ScanEye is a website that monitors BitTorrent downloads, a protocol that supports digital piracy. The website is very useful because people who are illegally downloading copyrighted material could face criminal charges. ScanEye is helpful in determining and bringing to light what the people in Congress are downloading. Although, should we really be surprised? Should we be disappointed in the actions of our government?