Surprise! The War On Movie Piracy Isn't Working

from the guess-what's-next dept

Wed, May 3rd 2006 8:06am — Carlo Longino

Software companies and their shill groups have been spreading around reports on the "cost" of piracy, which are made bogus by their assumption that every pirated copy of software equates to a lost sale, which simply isn't the case. Now, the MPAA has joined the fun, saying piracy costs it $6.1 billion a year. That's 75% more than previous figures, and the study was even supposed to account for people who were watching pirated films they wouldn't otherwise pay for. The MPAA didn't want to release the study, and it's little wonder why: doing so would not only call into question its previous research, but also be a tacit admission that its "war" on piracy is failing, and failing badly. But, of course, there's a flip side to this. Instead of waking up and realizing that the answer is changing their business models to reflect the changing times, they'll use the figures to run to Washington (or some other world capital) and get their Congressional lapdogs to expand copyright laws and give pirates more stringent punishments, since current laws "aren't working". Oh wait -- they're already doing that. The entertainment industry's misguided strategy, reliant on legislation and litigation, is only succeeding at one thing: turning customers into criminals. The industry is fighting a losing battle, and nothing will change until it puts a higher priority on reforming its business models than it does on locking down content and locking up pirates.

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81 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 8:58am

Regardless of what we all think, they are going to continue suing and spooking the common citizens of the world. I think we should all realize that there is much more to the world than movies, cds, dvds, and tvs. Keep your money you spend on blank media (it goes to the MPAA and RIAA anyway) and go outside. Yes, I love movies, cds, dvds, and my tvs, but really, it's just not worth all the effort. Most of the music and movies coming out the last 10 years til now sucks anyway. Seems like most of the creative ideas have been squashed by big studios, big labels, big gov't.
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proxy, 3 May 2006 @ 8:58am

*shocked*
I'd be lying if I said I was suprised.
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Ben, 3 May 2006 @ 9:01am

It's bad enough...
The anti-piracy stuff at the begining of movies in the theaters is bad enough but i just bought a new DVD from sony and when i put it in to watch the movie that i payed WAY to much for there's Anti-piracy messages i cant skip through! AHHHH!!! what the hell!?!?
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1st Poster, 3 May 2006 @ 9:03am

Just like the war on drugs
Doesnt matter what the punishment is, its not going to make it go away.
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Getting Warmer, 3 May 2006 @ 9:08am

Alternative
Spend more time watching alternative media. Things that are released into the creative commons, or otherwise given away for free (not free cd with purchase of a 12 pack of soda)

Check out theses guys, a bit insane but entertaining. rantmedia
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Michael, 3 May 2006 @ 9:08am

Hey...
Who moved my cheese???
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doug, 3 May 2006 @ 9:19am

prices are too high
The prices of the movies are way too high in the san francisco area. I used to watch movies about once a month. now I only watch movies once every 6 months. There was a time where I went 1 year without going to the theaters. There are too many a holes in the bay area.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 9:27am

just proves how easily our government can be bought.. washington is rolling in his grave now
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throbi, 3 May 2006 @ 9:46am

So what?
I live in China and I don't care! :-)
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Joe, 3 May 2006 @ 9:46am

the current business model is flawed beyond repair
I have to pay $10.75 to see a movie in theatres in NYC. I have the option of paying 5 dollars for a bootleg which is of poor quality or waiting 4-6 months for it to come out on DVD and buying it for $15-17 dollars.

I bought one bootleg for War of the Worlds because the movie trailer didn't convince me it was a good movie...my initial response to the film was correct so I don't feel bad wasting 5 dollars on a movie I will never watch again.

Between over inflated movie prices and poor quality films why are they wondering why consumers aren't going to the movies? It isn't because we are going out and buying bootlegs they just can't maintain our interest anymore for the price they are trying to make us pay.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 9:51am

Re: It's bad enough...
Do what I do, buy your DVD, re-rip it to a blank DVD without any of the junk, and have it so you can just go right to the menu.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 10:09am

Even better, rip the movie file only and it will start playing right away without any trailers/warnings/menus.
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Jeremiah, 3 May 2006 @ 10:13am

Dubba Books
One of the ironies in this debate (IMHO) is how the film companies can put any kind of empirical monetary amount forward with a straight face. This is the same business that for a great part of its history (and continues to this day) keeps "double books". In other words, they are free to pick and choose numbers pretty much at whimsy- "pirating cost us [insert headline grabbing number here] last year. Just look at these books we made up!"

In a way, I think it's high time we gave the MPAA the troll treatment - ignore them, don't feed them, and maybe they'll go away?

I know, wishful thinking....
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 10:16am

And again, I'll rely on *NOT* spending any money for entertainment other than my cable bill. I haven't bought a single CD - even used - since the Napster fiascso.

I'll wait a bit and see - but it looks like Hollywood's following the exact same path. Which is typical of them. Not like there's any recent movies that have really been good anyway. The lack of innovation they have in making movies is clearly going to mirror itself in their business model as well.

They can use the same "business model" the RIAA is using now. And it will amount to even less profits.

Good idea - Piss off the people who are willing to pay for movies...

Maybe, they should quit trying so hard to rake consumers for cash.
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Randy, 3 May 2006 @ 10:27am

Re: Hey...
Thanks for the laugh....who moved my cheese indeed.
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milibrat, 3 May 2006 @ 10:29am

im happy base theatre is free
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Tom, 3 May 2006 @ 10:44am

Re: the current business model is flawed beyond re
I dont think that buying bootlegs is what they are talking about when they are talking about piracy. one of the original arguments for internet piracy was that because we are not selling whatever is being distributed it is just the same as lending it to your friend. the thing that they are trying to combat is internet piracy as that is what is "impacting" their monies. I use the internet to watch movies to see if i really want them however if it is a good movie i do go out and buy it as is evident by the large DVD rack on my wall.
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JerseyRich, 3 May 2006 @ 10:50am

"There are too many a holes in the bay area."

Yeah, so move. Oh, wait...then there will be too many a-holes there too! :P
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Jim Garrison, 3 May 2006 @ 10:50am

RE: the current business model is flawed beyond re
No. Want to see how fast they can fix it? Everyone stop buying CDs, DVDs, and going to the movies for a month.

We can't go without fuel or food but boycotting the Music/Movie industry is doable. We just need for someone to organize it and get the word out.

Let's pick a date, say July 4th (Independence from bad movies/music/treating customers like crooks day!) and don't buy anything from the music/movie industry for a month (until August 4th). Let's see how long it takes them to wake up to the fact that we're tried of having crap shoved to us that we pay for and then can't use as we want.

So pass the word - NO music/movie purchases between July 4th and August 4th. Hit them where it hurts and see how quickly they fix their business model!
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JerseyRich, 3 May 2006 @ 10:53am

I'm sure they lose some money but sometimes "pirating" can make them money. I use Limewire to download and listen to a song before I buy it. If I like it, I'll buy it online from Napster or MSN Music.
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Chief Elf (profile), 3 May 2006 @ 11:05am

Poor studios...
C'mon, guys, have a heart! The movie studios have made a dime in profit, ever. Just ask anyone who made a deal to get paid a percentage of net profit. They always make sure there's absolutely no net.
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Eamon, 3 May 2006 @ 11:07am

Re: the current business model is flawed beyond re
I agree. They are blaming piracy for poor movie production. Lucas is, but he fails to admit the last three Star Wars films are terrible. he also doesn't have a captive audience anymore. Other film makers are doing well made Sci/Fi fantasy now.

The other thing about good movies is people will go out and see them. My friend burns films, but he will often go three or four times to the theatre for a good film.

Last I counted they had 32 remakes in the last few years. NO FREAKING wonder no one is goin g to the movies.
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wonk, 3 May 2006 @ 11:12am

Re: RE: the current business model is flawed beyon
this would be great and i could happily join in, but there isn't going to be enough people to go along with it. too many morons that can't go without.
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rbry, 3 May 2006 @ 11:14am

SCREW THEM
As long as they charge $10 to see a Bruce Willis movie that he needs to be paid $10,000,000 to make and the movie still sucks. As long as We can not get our money or the two hours of our wasted life back there will be downloads and copies being made. Let them keep charging $13+ for a CD that has only 2 good songs on it and they can keep worrying about downloading.
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Topher3105, 3 May 2006 @ 11:23am

Sorry I don't buy it, litterally
When Hollywood makes a good movie, I don't care about spending $10 to see it. Or $5 to rent it, and if its really good, $25 to buy the movie (haven't bought a DVD in almost 2 years). I can't stand when Hollywood rips me off time and time again by over hyping a movie the producers, directors, and actors know is crap. Hollywood is paying off movie critics to give it positive reviews (think Ebert isn't getting paid off, look at many of his thumbs up movies over the years).

The idea that Hollywood is losing $6 billion a year from piracy is a JOKE. What really is happening is that Hollywood can no longer STEAL $6 billion from customers who would otherwise unknowingly buy, rent or pay a ticket to see one of the hundreds of crappy movies Hollywood flings out every month. When these customers download a movie, it just proves they were justified for not paying a dime for it in the first place.

Hollywood is staying "Don't Steal Movies", my message to Hollywood, "Stop stealing OUR MONEY!".
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Jar of Opinion, 3 May 2006 @ 11:25am

being of the opinion
What is lacking is an organization that can create the boycott. We can request a boycott all we want, but us sitting behind cubicles, typing away at the endless pixle stream isn't going to start a revolution. There needs to be a 'boycott' entity that coordinates and mass mails anyone who signs up to temporarily boycott at a predefined date... without an entity we are all empty and momentary opinions.
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Jolly Roger, 3 May 2006 @ 11:54am

how to get blood from a DVD
Many good points here about why piracy occurs; here's another:

You love a movie and buy it; 6 months later the company puts out the "super ultra deluxe special director's cut" and like a good sucker you buy it.

6 months later after that, they come out with the "oops, we forgot (nudge, nudge wink wink say no more) to include these deleted scenes fancy pants box director's dog's favorite unrated scenes cut", and while pissed, you buy it vowing to never buy another DVD again.

6 months after that, they release the "seriously, the last edition you'll ever need to buy ultrawide oops we forgot to remaster it last time and add DTS 5.1 final edition"

Give me Netflix and DVD Decrypter anyday...

J
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m0rd3r, 3 May 2006 @ 12:07pm

Re:
I'm sure they lose some money but sometimes "pirating" can make them money. I use Limewire to download and listen to a song before I buy it. If I like it, I'll buy it online from Napster or MSN Music.

Why? Do you think its stealing if you dont pay some other service money for an mp3?

This bugs me as much as RIAA suing people. There are people that actually let themselves be convinced that downloading an mp3 for free is wrong/stealing. Dont be sheep to the wolves people.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 12:16pm

Re: So what?
nobody cares you chink
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RoyalPeasantry, 3 May 2006 @ 12:17pm

;) One good movie.

V for Vendetta

The trailers made it out as a hack 'n slash action movie but it was so much better.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 12:19pm

Re: SCREW THEM
$13 dollars for a cd! where I live, its over 25.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 12:21pm

Re:
lol
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RoyalPeasantry, 3 May 2006 @ 12:24pm

Oh and another comment on V for Vendetta.

I downloaded a cam (ugh) of it first and watched it at home. I liked it so much I went out and took some friends to go see it again in the IMAX theater downtown.

Eat that MPAA... You just MADE $30 from online piracy. Betcha not going to count that in your figures.
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KC, 3 May 2006 @ 12:36pm

I'm with Topher. I just don't go to the movies or buy movies anymore. Maybe when the prices are down to $5 per DVD, I'll consider it.
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Zeroth404, 3 May 2006 @ 1:39pm

You give me rock solid proof that "illegal" downloading (which is merely a violation of copyright, an extremely minor offense if there is no profit in it) causes any dent at all in these glutton's wallets, and then we might have an issue. Until then, I'll just keep posting on tech dirt.
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John (profile), 3 May 2006 @ 2:25pm

Where do they get the $6 billion figure
Whenever the MPAA or RIAA puts out a huge figure like this, I have to wonder where they get their numbers. What is the source for the $6 billion "loss"?
Are they getting this number by saying "20 people downloaded a movie instead of paying $10, so that COST us $200"?

The fallacy of this calculation is this: How many of those downloaders will actually go spend $10 to see to see the movie or pay $15 for the CD?

How many of those downloaders will even watch the movie? A lot of them may simply download the movie just for bragging rights to say they have it.

Does the MPAA even account for the people who download a movie, watch it on their 15 inch monitor, and then pay to go see it again on the large screen in the theaters?

How many of those downloaders will rent the DVD later? Hmm... $5 for a DVD rental where 5 people can watch it at the same time- that's $1 per person... far short of the $50 that a theater would take in.
Maybe the MPAA should go after NetFlix for keeping people out of the theaters.

How many of these downloaders will wait for the movie to come on cable TV or network TV, where they can see it for free?
(Yes, the networks pay big money to show popular movies, but I seriously doubt the MPAA factors this income into their $6 billion "loss".)
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Jim, 3 May 2006 @ 2:40pm

Re:
Maybe, they should quit trying so hard to rake consumers for cash.

Wouldn't that actually be rape!?
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Jim, 3 May 2006 @ 2:44pm

Re: being of the opinion
Sounds great. You up to the task? Oh, by the way, You might also watch out for your own personal lawsuit, by mail, shortly thereafter.
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The Right Rev Chumley, 3 May 2006 @ 3:39pm

Free and legal alternatives
There is plenty of alternative content out there. Just look at podcasting and vidcasting. There is hours and hours of audio and video content that people are begging for you to watch for free. There is so much that you are bound to find what you want and none of it is FCC mangled either!

I run a vidcast that caters to old MST3K fans and people who used to watch monster movie hosts on UHF. I play free movies! why pay the MPAA and the RIAA. Screw em.

Come check out the world of vidcasts http://www.cultofuhf.com
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 3:50pm

Re: Sorry I don't buy it, litterally
Let's call up Jay Sherman and get him back on the air...
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Silent_shadow900, 3 May 2006 @ 3:52pm

Yeah
Damn straight! Sick of them. We'll be rid of their crap eventually.
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SRPaxson, 3 May 2006 @ 3:58pm

Re: Hey...
they are straight up hemmin arrent they!
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hypocracy, 3 May 2006 @ 4:05pm

Re: the current business model is flawed beyond re
There's no way to justify supporting the bootlegging business, that would be aiding the media cartels' cause in inflating figures along with the real criminals. File sharing is a different story, which is what this article is about. Then no one is getting paid for the media, nor stealing profits from them as it leads to buying genuine copies when consumers actually want it.

The truth is, what the MP/RIAA is really fighting to protect is the power to market people into buying their products, instead of consumers spending their money on quality.
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David Sterry, 3 May 2006 @ 4:11pm

Lots of speculation
We need a study where two similarly popular movies are pitted against one another. Both are released on DVD at the same time but one of them is also made available for download for free on the internet from an official studio website. Then you can take a look at revenues over the next year and see which one does better. To take into account that a movie getting out there has value of its own, derivative sources like promotional deals and merchandising should also be counted.
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indepenent, 3 May 2006 @ 4:12pm

BUY INDIE FILMS!!!!!!
buy a skateboarding video. they have music on there and it's fun to watch. support your local skateshops.
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Starky, 3 May 2006 @ 4:15pm

Me and my friends just borrow dvds from each other, and occasionally copy them. We figure that if no one in our group of 14 people has it, chances are the movie wasn't good enough to buy in the first place (Normally, at least one of us saw the movie in a theater and can confirm this). It's free and works great, and also doesn't give the MPAA more money for them to spend on suing 10 year old kids, 70+ year old grandparents, and families that don't even have a computer.
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keith, 3 May 2006 @ 4:16pm

Re:
You can tell you people live in the USA... just raz'n ya...
A friendly concearned Canadian against poor starving artists...
I feel realy bad knowing that poor [put actors name here] can't buy a new car/house for their collections.
I worry about paying rent and putting food on the table...
Not how much cocaine I can snort in one night and live. Or which island I would like to buy next to escape all the A-holes. :) oh the hard life of stars and rich business people.... How about share the damn wealth you greedy bastards and someone might give a flying F#**@ if you starve or not.

just a thought...
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 4:37pm

Re: by keith
Thank You, keith. That about sums it up, now doesn't it!!!
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Steven, 3 May 2006 @ 4:49pm

They keep putting ADS in movies that we PAY for and STUPID anti-piracy messages on DVD's WE BUY...does that make sense, NO...because they are idiots!!! They are feeding the flame. If they want us to PAY for it, stop putting crap like that in making it MORE annoying for us to pay for legal material. The main reason piracy is a better option is it's:
FREE
NO Copyright protection
EASIER to get than legal stuff
More choice with pirated material

Yet no one except Apple understand this and is making profit from it. Let Apple do it with video soon, it'll happen. Mark my words. RIAA and MPAA is hindering advances in technology and distribution, no helping it. If they want to help piracy, stop getting in the way....step back, let people innovate and spend money on ways to enhance paid material, no sueing people who do pirate.
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Inbox News, 3 May 2006 @ 5:18pm

The War On Movie Piracy Isn't Working
It must be said that the current model is severely overpriced. With-in recent months I've noticed a complete absence of new anti-copy technology on the release discs. Obviously they've given up on DVD and are looking forward to HD-DVD & Blu-ray for DRM. It's interesting to note the MPAA has a plan to sell DVDs in markets where piracy is an everyday thing for as little as $1, but they have done nothing to adjust their pricing in the nations that actually buy content.
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Mr T., 3 May 2006 @ 5:21pm

Pay me for wasting my time.
4 years ago, I used to go to the cinema at least once a week. Tickets at the time cost $4AUD. Eventually they went up to $8AUD. And now are $14AUD.

4 years ago, I used to go to concerts, $35 for the ticket seemed like a good deal. Now, $125.

Has the quality improved so much that they can justify the inflation? No. Movies suck these days, music also sucks. It's all 'cleaned up' and made 'perfect' and ends up being like the one before it.

I want the MPAA to give me money for wasting my time with crap American produced movies that are advertised as "The best movie of the century!" etc.

I'll pay $5 for a rip, I'll watch it, then I'll never watch it again. Because the quality is poor. Not because it's a bad rip, but because I am sick and tired of seeing Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and all the other over-used actors, either shooting people, or making a stupid joke.

I propose a class action against the MPAA for false advertising of the quality of movies.
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bureX, 3 May 2006 @ 6:28pm

Hello, reality check?
I live in Serbia, and I'm pretty pissed off when it comes to watching movies!

"Nobody goes to the theatres anymore, we're going bankrupt!" - WELL WHO CARES? I'll tell you something... The theatres over here are AWFUL! The picture quality sucks, the popcorn tastes like crap, people spit food at you while eating behind your back and laughing their guts out at the same time, mobile phones are ringin' at their maximum volume... Need I go on?

And as for the DVDs they sell around small shops over here at EXTREMELY LOW PRICES ARE BULLCRAP TOO! "Wow, the price looks good", you say? Well, think again... Some DVDs you buy don't even work at all! If it works, then you have to deal with the disgusting plastic packaging that wears off after 10 openings! What else, hm... Well, after actually trying to play the movie, you have to wait until the damn "WARNING! THIS MOVIE IS PROTECTED BY... yada yada yada" message stops playing and for the 2-3 ADVERTISMENTS they put in before the movie actually starts! (And, no, you can't use Fast-Forward here...)

So, why are we buying cheap, low quality DivX CDs or downloading them illegally through torrents? Now you now...
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 6:41pm

Re: Poor studios...
always ask for a percentage of gross revenue. Stan Lee now knows this too ;)

Yeah, hollywood, mpaa, riaa (mafiaa) are all corrupt cartels who deserve to be broken up, and placed in prison for a long long time.
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Jim Garrison, 3 May 2006 @ 7:02pm

Re: Re: being of the opinion
I'm thinking of putting up a website for this explaining the problem and asking for a boycott. A little pubicity and maybe we could get enough of a grassroots campagin going to make a difference.

I'm interested in why you think the movie/music industry could sue. On what grounds? Why can't consumers group together to say enough is enough?

I was about to say this is still a free country but that's becoming less and less true statement every day.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 7:15pm

Re:
Things have kinda progressed since the original napster:
you see there's this new thing called iTunes....where you can buy legit music from all the major labels as well as indie bands. After you download them (assuming you know how to, right? ) you put them on this music device called an "iPod". Check it out, it's the latest thing... ; )
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StoneWolf, 3 May 2006 @ 7:17pm

Re: It's bad enough...
You can avoid those if you pirate it....
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Dennis, 3 May 2006 @ 8:43pm

Re: So what?
Hey China boy, go back and get lost in your censored internet connection... Oh, and if it wasn't for us (here in the good ol' USA) and our military you wouldn't even have an 'internet.' Get back to work making my t-shirts and various other cheaply made goods so you can bring in your 40 cents for the day.
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Pete, 3 May 2006 @ 9:24pm

Re: So What?
Whoa, whats with all this racism?

Are you to stupid to be able to form a rational response which doesn't contain explicitives or recial slurs?

Give me break.

Also, I download CDs with BitTorent listen to them, If i like them I buy them. Simple. They aren't loosing any money at all as how are they loosing money on something i wasn't even going to buy? :S
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Anonymous Coward, 3 May 2006 @ 10:39pm

Re:
If the RIAA / MPAA want to lock people up, they should have to foot the bill. Ya, *they* should pay the $30-40K a year it takes to lock up each person and see how many they want to lock up then.

Besides, the recording industry is *based* on a type of piracy. They take a musicians work and make copies and sell the copies while cheating them out of as much as possible. Furthermore, the reason they are based on the west coast was becasue they fled the east coast courts 100 years ago to avoid paying Edison on his sound and movie patents! Seriously, go look it up.
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dagon, 3 May 2006 @ 10:50pm

I live in the netherlands and I don't give a hoot about what happens in murrca. Idiots there dug their own grave and then elected G.W. Copryrights are a lot more lax here; I use emule with impunity, cops can't enter my house even if I run adds for doing so.
Movies, big music etc, is dead. Have a nice day. Next to die, america itself. GF Riddane.
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ANONYMOUS USER, 4 May 2006 @ 1:41am

Re: Hey...
great book! :)
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Pirate Type - DJ Pirate Type, 4 May 2006 @ 5:31am

I mean, if you get sued by M/Riaa, how do they know that you got music or videos on your PC? By hacking???(Isn't that illeagal? :P)
Countersue them!!

Pirate Type, from Norway (so they can't get me!)
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Pirate Type - DJ Pirate Type (just as you know), 4 May 2006 @ 5:33am

I mean, if you get sued by M/Riaa, how do they know that you got music or videos on your PC? By hacking???(Isn't that illeagal? :P)
Countersue them!!

Pirate Type, from Norway (they can't get me!)
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STeve, 4 May 2006 @ 12:07pm

The movie theatres suck now, and that is why they lose money. You get to pay ten dollars to get searched now, overcharged for popcorn and shown incessant commercials. They've got to be retarded to not see why they are losing money.
And I have zero faith in our 'elected' government to change anything for the common good at all, any more.
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GraphicArtist2k5, 4 May 2006 @ 1:15pm

Not Necessarily
It's not necessarily that the movie theaters suck so much as it is the fact that movies themselves suck so bad it's ridiculous.

And of course the whole MPAA/ RIAA scare isn't working, because there ARE those of us that have what's known as common damn sense when it comes to what we download, and whether we choose to sell what we download to other people or not. I would NEVER sell anything I download off the 'net because it's not mine to sell, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't give someone a CD if they wanted me to make one for them, or if someone had a CD I wanted and they let me borrow it so I could make my own copy. It's no different than when people used to make recordings on analog tape, or when people would borrow record albums and record them, is it? No it's not. Cased closed, end of discussion.
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rommb, 4 May 2006 @ 5:00pm

Why?
I quit buying music CD's years ago. Why? Noting is out there that I like I'm almost 40 and have every thing I ever need on CD from the 80's. Why spend my money on american idle crap? blond sluts or goofy boy bands and do not for get the crap you call hip hop rap. Market to me with good music.

And I will buy it
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World-Wide DVDs, 4 May 2006 @ 8:55pm

Internet Piracy is Not the Problem
The real problem is not internet piracy at all. Sure, you can spend an hour searching newsgroups for a crappy copy of a film, and then spend another hour downloading it... Or you can wait until it comes on DVD, get it from Netflix, rip and copy it, send it back, and move on to the next DVD.

Yes, Blockbuster and Netflix with their DVD rental via mail, THAT is killing their profits. Who buys DVDs when you can get 50 of them in a month for $14.99 and copy them at a cost of $0.50 each. I know that fact put me out of business.

So the MPAA needs to go after the people making illegal copies of rentals, not the occassional download of a crappy copy of a film.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 May 2006 @ 9:19pm

I don't like downloading movies anyway, the quality is not as good as I get with a DVD or seeing it in the cinema. Now I don't go to the movies because I don't have enough money , and plus so many of the movies all look the same. If I download a movie it's because I wouldn't pay for it anyway. People who like the movie will spend the money, if nobody likes it, they're not gonna pay for a DVD of a movie that not worth 2 viewings.
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elaine, 8 May 2006 @ 4:19am

This is not a big surprise considering that people prefer to gain access to music or movies by paying cheaply or for free. I think that the decision is left to the consumers which would naturally choose piracy because it is free and easier to do.
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The Good Man, 24 May 2006 @ 12:43am

Legal music for free plus great quality
Guess what? I now have all the hits of the moment like Kelly Clarkson's Walk Away as one of the tracks of my CD and I got it for free and legally! How? Internet Radio! IT IS NOT A CRIME TO MAKE A RECORDING OF A RADIO BROADCAST FOR PERSONAL USE.
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MtX: Moh, 31 May 2006 @ 8:54am

solution: arabia
I'm an arabic resident in the country of Kuwait, and somehow i cant get enough of reading about record labels, movie studios and RIAA sueing people that copy their movies. I find it extremely funny ....because, you guessed it, in Arabia these laws barely exist. I went out just the other day and bought more than 10 movies for less than 40 American Dollar. i also came back home and downloaded a movie and added it to my collection which includes more than 60 AVI files and DVDs.

Even though there is some compassion for the few moviemakers out there in Hollywood who were able to make good movies, such as london, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and a few others i find it extremely rediculous that you have to pay more money to own it than to just see it.

The way i see it, movies and music should be peices of art, and if they arent and are just worthless. No one should pay ANYTHING to see it, if that is so, you are paying to see worthless crap. In my world, i can do anything i please, No record company is going to threaten me with a lawsuit that came from a owner of a movie studio that finances the making of low rated, unfunny, untalented, crap. if this is the world we live in then id rather not watch anything at all or listen to the bullshit they have on the radio called "music".
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newbie, 1 Jun 2006 @ 7:54pm

want to start downloads
Does anybody know where I can get movies that are just coming out to theatre's?
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Mike, 2 Jun 2006 @ 10:39am

What did they write off in taxes?
Let's see them try writing off $6bn a year as a loss and see what the IRS has to say!
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Thexgene14, 4 Jun 2006 @ 9:51pm

Amen!
I have to say AMEN to all these post! The damn entertainment industry is falling apart. Not becuase of piracy but becuase of S---y movies and crappy songs. No one cared when you recorded a movie on TV on VHS and gave it to your friend years ago...Now that that is being done where they can see it, they tell us that they are lossing 6 bill a year...BULL SH--! I'm for boycotting the industry for a month...but how will we get the word out? 50 or so ppl on a forum isn't going to do it....
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Racheal, 10 Jun 2006 @ 12:17pm

I'm Game
I'm Game for this boycott. I stopped buying CD's almost a year ago. Haven't bought a freshly new dvd ever!
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Sandbomb, 4 Jul 2006 @ 12:45am

BOYCOTT!!!!!!
Okay, im sure everyone is aware of movie and music piracy and the attempt by

movie and audio labels to stop it. every year millions are brought to court to

pay huge loads of money just to compinsate for "illegally" viewing a small

movie or playing a song that might not even popularly last for a month. But

this year...2006, it will all change, a boycott of original movie and music

products (DVDS, VHS and CDs) etc will be boycotted by who ever wishes to do so

to prove to movie studios and music labels that WE are the customers and WE

make them who they are. it shall start on the 4th of July and hopefully end on

4th of August. i sure hope you participate in this (hoped to be) global event.

for more send or add this email "sandbomb_bc@hotmail.com". thank you for your

time and i hope you spread the word.
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Nero, 24 Jul 2006 @ 5:23pm

Scare Tactics
The MPAA and RIAA couldn't care less about the legal ramifications of new governmet legislation. All they're doing is trying to scare people into wasting their money getting their entertainment the legal and let's face it, ridiculously expensive, way. For those of us who won't be suckered into buying into those idiotic "piracy is stealing" ads, keep sharing and remember to seed.
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Voici la version G o o g l e de la page mise en ca, 24 Jul 2006 @ 5:32pm

Voici la version G o o g l e de la page mise en ca
Voici la version G o o g l e de la page mise en cache de http://creativecommons.org/weblog/archive/2005/01 extraite le 17 juil 2006 14:02:42 GMT.
La version « En cache » proposée par G o o g l e correspond à la page telle qu’elle se présentait lors de la dernière consultation effectuée par Google.
Il se peut que la page ait été modifiée depuis cette date. Cliquez ici pour consulter la page actuelle (sans mises en valeur).
Cette page mise en cache peut renvoyer à des images qui ne sont plus disponibles. Cliquez ici pour obtenir uniquement le texte mis en cache.
Pour créer un lien avec cette page ou l'inclure dans vos favoris/signets, utilisez l'adresse suivante : http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:1_6QTj750MEJ:creativecommons.org/weblog/archive/2005/01+current +email+of+director+of+t+shirt+companies+in+netherland+2006&hl=fr&gl=fr&ct=clnk&cd=50 .

Google n'est ni affilié aux auteurs de cette page ni responsable de son contenu.
Les termes de recherche suivants ont été mis en valeur : current email director t shirt companies 2006
Ces termes apparaissent uniquement dans les liens pointant sur cette page : netherland

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Creative Commons Blog
O'Reilly Licensing Book, Licensed
I just noticed that Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing, published last year by O'Reilly, is now available as a no cost download under a Creative Commons license. The book includes a chapter (PDF) on Creative Commons licenses.

Thanks O'Reilly and Andrew St. Laurent, the book's author!

Via Slashdot.

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-31 05:41 PM.
World Live (and Licensed) Web
Kevin Marks mentioned on the cc-metadata list that you can query Technorati for a list of recently syndicated content, grouped by Creative Commons license.

You can also drill down and get a list of recently syndicated content under a specific Creative Commons license.

The results are a bit rough now, but one can easily imagine combining license searches with keyword and other search filters to effect an ongoing search for specific licensed content. For example, tell me whenever a Creative Commons licensed image of horses is syndicated.

Marks, who works at Technorati, indicates this sort of capability is "an important future direction." Other blog and search outfits take note.

(Glenn found the beautiful horse image linked above via the Creative Commons search engine.)

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-31 05:01 PM.
Read. Listen. Watch. Buckman.
All Creative Commons radio show Staccato's episode 7 features an interview with Magnatune record label founder John Buckman, our current featured commoner interview. Also check out a San Francisco television interview with Buckman and Magnatune artist Artemis.

MP3s of all 326 Magnatune-published albums are CC licensed. Listen.

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-29 12:37 PM.
Rip. Sample. Mash. Countdown.
Since we noticed sta(cc)ato another CC radio show has started: The Revolution. After three regular shows, the Revolution is already producing a special: Rip. Sample. Mash. Countdown. Each week until the Freestyle Mix and Militia Mix contests end (February 12), the Revolution will play new entries that have been rated four stars (of five) or higher by the CC Mixter community.

Listen now.

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-29 12:27 PM.
CBC Radio 3 Chooses CC as a Top Issue
CBC Radio 3 has chosen Creative Commons Canada as 5th of 100 contemporary issues facing Canadians today.
Submitted by Anonymous on 2005-01-27 05:27 PM.
Ready to Share (Pret a Partager)
Here's a great idea: A conference that compares how creativity is regulated in fashion versus how it's regulated in other art forms. In fashion, copyright (among other things) is pretty laissez-faire compared to, say, music or film.

On January 29, 2005, the Norman Lear Center will hold a landmark event on fashion and the ownership of creativity. Ready to Share will explore the fashion industry's enthusiastic embrace of sampling, appropriation and borrowed inspiration, core components of every creative process. Presented by the Lear Center's Creativity, Commerce & Culture project, and sponsored by The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM, this groundbreaking conference will feature scholarly debate, fashion shows, multimedia presentations, the clash of perspectives and the cross-fertilization of ideas.
If you're in Los Angeles this weekend, come see designer Tom Ford, musician Dangermouse, techie John Seely Brown, musician and producer T-Bone Burnett, and other giants of the various corners of the creative world talk about the fine art of sampling, across disciplines.

Or, check out the webcast at 9am PST January 29.

Submitted by Glenn Otis Brown on 2005-01-26 08:08 PM.
A Great Scene From iCommons
We just got this great photo of the Wissenschaftskolleg conference from Christiane, our International Commons Project Coordinator, whom you can see there in the background. Featured in the foreground is Professor Ricolfi, Creative Commons Legal Project Lead from Italy, and to the right of him is Professor Jürgen Renn, Director of the Max Planck Institute for History of Science. On the very right, is Professor Lessig. Photo by Olivier Menanteau.

Submitted by Anonymous on 2005-01-26 07:53 PM.
At Sundance
I'll be on a panel on Digital Rights Management tomorrow at high noon at the Sundance Film Festival.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a key issue for any company that controls content or has a library it wants to exploit. Balancing issues of copyright/privacy versus profit is no small challenge. In the new digital age, is it possible to leverage content and maximize profit only when a top-notch DRM system is in place? The music industry learned its lesson the hard way with Napster; the film industry doesn't want to make the same mistake, but still finds itself fighting multimillion-dollar antipiracy lawsuits year after year. How will the newest state-of-the-art DRM software change how we deliver movies? Come hear from the experts, and find out what's on the horizon for the moviegoing (and book-reading) public. Moderated by Walter S. Mossberg, personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Watch for Creative Commons sightings on Defamer.

Submitted by Glenn Otis Brown on 2005-01-26 07:52 PM.
Featured Commoner: Magnatune
Magnatune provides "Internet music without the guilt." Based in Berkeley, California, Magnatune is a record label with a 21st Century business model, offering consumers a unique mix of free and paid music. One of the first for-profit companies to adopt Creative Commons' copyright licenses into its strategy, Magnatune has amassed both an impressive buzz and a large artist roster. We recently spoke with Magnatune founder and CEO John Buckman about the music company's progress and plans, and how going "some rights reserved" can boost the bottom line.

Submitted by Glenn Otis Brown on 2005-01-24 02:31 PM.
CC on the charts
Ok, #9 on the Toronto Eye's Anti-Hit List, with very some cool company. It's a start!

Here's the Eye's pick on CC Mixter: fake french [le tigre est fatigué], featuring samples from several WIRED CD tracks.

It's about discovery now.

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-20 04:53 PM.
Australia Launch and River Boat Cruise
Over the last few days, I had the honor of attending the Creative Commons Australia launch which was celebrated by a two-day Creative Commons conference at the Queensland University of Technology Law School. The conference, entitled Open Content Licensing (OCL): Cultivating the Creative Commons, was well attended by many of Australia's influencial thinkers in government, technology, the arts, and law. Brian Fitzgerald, head of iCommons Australia, and his many colleagues, put together an amazing crash course in Creative Commons, as well as the context from which we've emerged. It seemed that conference attendees left excited about the potential for Creative Commons to work within the Australian cultural environment.

Most exciting about this conference, was to see how energetic everyone was about Creative Commons, both in support, and in criticism -- the mere fact that people felt so strongly about it was truly inspiring. I also had the pleasure of attending the first official Creative Commons river boat cruise -- leave it to the Australians to show you a good time! Below are some images from the event and the cruise:

A scene from a conference lecture:

Head of iCommons Australia, Brian Fitzgerald, with conference organizers and Creative Commons researches, Cher Barlett and Amanda Campion:

Michael May, conference organizer and Creative Commons researcher (sporting a CC shirt and enjoying a beer):

A scene from the boat:

The other boat, which looked like our boat (taken with my new digital camera that I obviously don't know how to use very well yet):

Submitted by Anonymous on 2005-01-19 05:32 PM.
CC Italy Launch Report
Juan Carlos De Martin writes in with a report on last month's Creative Commons Italy launch:

The Italian CC Licenses were launched in Turin on December 16th, with a conference at the Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli. Over 100 people crowded the attractive conference room of the Fondazione, with several journalists in attendance to cover the event.

The first part of the program prepared by the iCommons Italy Affiliate Institutions (University of Turin Law School and IEIIT-CNR) coordinated by the Italian project lead, prof. Marco Ricolfi, consisted of presentations by Lawrence Lessig, who eloquently explained the conceptual foundations of CC, and by Christiane Asschenfeldt, who reported on the state of the art of the iCommons project.

Marco Ricolfi then spoke about the process that produced the Italian CC licenses, highlighting among the other things that like elsewhere in Europe there is a need for some adjustments to the role of collecting societies to second the growing desire of authors to distribute their works more freely. Juan Carlos De Martin, a computer engineering researcher with IEIIT-CNR, provided an overview of the CC technical challenges and stressed the role of technology in enabling the 'Some Rights Reserved' vision in cyberspace.

Talks that followed the lively discussion session were a selection of the many proposals submitted in response to a call made by the organizers back in October 2004.

The presentations touched a wide range of topics, including the relationship between free software and CC licenses (Alessandro Rubini), Radiodrome - a student web radio experiment at the Politecnico di Torino (Puria Nafisi and Jovi Berton), and a report on work in progress on CC in a country next door to Italy, Slovenia (Maja Bogataj Jançiç). The conference ended with the words of an artist from another neighboring country, France: Dominique, lead singer of the free rock group Godon, explained why Godon chose CC licenses to release their music on their web site. For a complete list of all the talks, see the site of the event, where most presentations (in English) will be available shortly.

The event was webcast live by IEIIT-CNR, using its free streaming software, the Open Media Streaming project, which supports handling of CCPL licensing metadata.

After the conference, attendees were invited to move to the near-by Imbarco Perosino, an attractive venue right on the backs of the Po river, for a celebratory "aperitivo", followed by a "Creative Christmas" party that lasted into the night.

Submitted by Mike Linksvayer on 2005-01-19 12:44 PM.
Wired on Open Source Biology
An interesting article from Wired on the folks at Biological Innovation for Open Society (BIOS), a group in Australia advocating an open-source approach to biology. I know the folks at BIOS and recommend you poke around their site if you're interested in open biology.
Here's the story; it's a good read.

One point, which is actually pretty major, of contention. We see Science Commons described as being in a supposed "battle" with the biotechnology companies of the world.

This is a perception that Science Commons will have to work against - the idea that, by advocating voluntary changes to inefficient systems, we are somehow "against" the companies pursuing scientific innovation. It's just not
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Robert Bryan, 11 Aug 2006 @ 6:14am

movie piracy
why not at all movie theaters have all incoming movie goers go thru a checkpoint for movie video equipment. if they are found to violate the policy of no movie video equip. three times then band them from that theater. let all movie tickets show where they entered theater to movie at so as to protect against movie theater employees from letting their friends in to steal the movie content. something needs to done quickly or the movies that i once new will no longer be around. this younger generation does not care about content they just want it for free. it makes them fill good like they accomplished something for there friends.
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Stoney, 15 Sep 2006 @ 11:56am

Re:
dagon we didnt elect bush, at least not the second time. the elections were admitted to being fixed. america isn't the land of the free. it's the land of corruption and conspiracy.
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cho, 11 Dec 2006 @ 3:27pm

Youn Americans pay way too much for pirated stuff, we at SE Asia gat ours for $1.10 for a movie with quality as good as DVD (if yuo wait long enough) and $1.40 to get entiore seasons of your best TV series (Lost, Sopranos, Entourage...)
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