Thursday, June 13, 2013
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?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Not only was he sentenced to 12 years in jail, but he probably had to pay some pretty hefty fines. I believe this punishment fits the crime. There should be consequences for people who download things illegally, they are in no way helping contribute to society. The companies coming up with new software, music, and videos are responsible for employing a lot of people. If we take away their profits, not only will the employees suffer, but the economy could suffer as well, depending on the magnitude.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was bad by just downloading illegal music and movies here and there, but I have never thought of downloading softwares! That takes some courage and a lot of brains that I don't really have.
ReplyDeleteI think 12 years is enough punishment. I agree with Leeanna, the punishment fits the crime. It wasn't like he was downloading a few songs, he was downloading expensive software that I wish I could afford! He deserves his jail time and I hope when he gets out he will have learned his lesson!
I agree with both Leeanna and Reema on this one. 12 years plus some fines would help him learn his lesson. Downloading something illegally is essentially stealing. Except, it is so hard to police that most people can get away with it easily. I do agree that fines should be more hefty if the crime is larger. He essentially shorted these companies out of thousands of dollars. Not only that, but the users who purchased this information probably have never ending viruses and software problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, 12 years definitely fits the crime. Though I wouldn't feel bad for the guy if it was 15-20. I have downloaded the occasional mp3 song here and there on the internet, I feel bad for admitting that. It is just so easy to take a few seconds to download the song instead of going through itunes and purchasing it. This guy took it to a completely different level though. He not only downloaded all of this software, but he also sold it for a profit. Completely different situation, he got what he deserved.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone can agree that the punishment fits the crime. While it is difficult to feel remorseful over downloading a few songs, pirating incredibly expensive software is a different story. Not only was he stealing the software for his own use but he was making a large profit as well. This is a classic example of how piracy can affect more than just the end user.
ReplyDeleteI think that the punishment should be immensely harsher for pirates who steal and then sell copyrighted materials.
ReplyDeleteThis guy didn't illegally download it just for his own personal use, which is still bad, but not as bad as downloading it and reselling it for a profit at the expense of the teams of people who were creative and hard working enough to make the software in the first place. They and the company aren't reaping the fruits of their labor, soon they'll be out of jobs.