For All The 'Significant Blows' To Piracy, Shouldn't Piracy Have Gone Way Down?

from the just-wondering... dept

Fri, Sep 15th 2006 1:18am — Mike Masnick

I'm beginning to notice a pattern. Following just about any "high profile" shutting down of a file sharing or content counterfeiting operation, an entertainment industry exec will proudly state how it's a "significant blow" to piracy. Yet, it never seems like any of these "significant blows" have even the slightest actual impact on the marketplace. Remember how shutting down the Pirate Bay was supposedly a "significant blow" against copyright infringement online... when the reality was that (1) if it stayed down people would have just gone elsewhere (2) it was down for just a few days and (3) when it came back online it was much bigger than ever before thanks to the publicity from the raid. So, why is it that the media still has no problem claiming that a raid on some counterfeiting operation is a "significant blow to the nation's piracy market"? Indeed, it does sound like a fairly large counterfeiting operation -- and these are exactly the types of operations the industry should be moving against. However, it's hard to believe this will have any real economic impact on the market for counterfeit DVDs and CDs. The operation had a grand total of 208 CD and DVD burners. That's clearly more than your average home user, but that's still not a huge number.

Also, while the report does make it clear that plenty of counterfeit content was found at the site (someone's garage), it's worth remembering that the entertainment industry also has a long history have overstating the actual specifics of these busts as well. In 2002, following a similar raid, the RIAA claimed that 421 CD burners had been seized. The truth was that only 156 CD burners were found, but the RIAA raised the number because some of the burners ran at "faster speeds" than more common CD burners. Then, there was the case from last year, where the MPAA claimed it had shut down a counterfeiting plant that had $30 million worth of counterfeit DVDs. Except... that also turned out to be false. The plant had not been shut down. The plant owners pointed out that they were a legitimate business that had been around for 15-years, and the seized DVDs were legal products that they were producing under contract for a large public company -- and were only worth a few thousand dollars, rather than $30 million. So, forgive us for thinking that (1) this new raid was not as big as the story claims and (2) that this will not be "a significant blow" to the market for counterfeit products.

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23 Comments

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Tek'a, 15 Sep 2006 @ 2:00am

really?
RIAA lying? say it aint so.. why, thats unbelievable.. dont you know all they want is control of everyones hard drives, burners and portable devices? I mean.. only terrible thieves would object to that, right? I think the Gub'Ment should step in to help these poor, broke companies who are so hurt and affected by piracy

/sarcasm

anywho.. believe a significant blow when you see it. the RIAA is digging a hole in the ocean, holding press conferences about every spadeful they toss over their shoulder and ignoring the rising tide. with some luck, they might just drown.
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- LeXXX, 15 Feb 2008 @ 2:24am
  
  Re: really?
  lmfao
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Sep 2006 @ 2:19am

well not sure how m,uch RIAA or MPAA has to do with this but a few years ago there were dozens of good ed2k link sites. (kind of a catalogue of all that is available on of of the P2P networks) back then it took less than 5 minutes to find anything you like.

today all the good sites are down and there "owners" either in Jail either in court.

now youd be lucky to find 20% of what you are looking for.
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- Pirate, 15 Sep 2006 @ 6:28am
  
  Re:
  I can still find about 98% of what I want. I think in the last year there have been maybe 2 or 3 songs, cd's or dvd's that I couldn't find. Most of which weren't released yet.
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chucklebutte, 15 Sep 2006 @ 2:36am

find 20%
wow buddy you looking in the wrong places anyway um can we say noob? come on people enough is enough who cares about P2P? i dont only idiots use it nothing there but mislabeled crap poor sounding crackling mp3's or shitty divx files with 120x120 resolution who cares? its sad but i can still think of one untouched source which i wont name its fairly free too depending on ISP so why use P2P when your ISP has a free stockpile of pirated goods?
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- Anonymous Coward, 16 Sep 2006 @ 11:49am
  
  Re: find 20%
  "its sad but i can still think of one untouched source which i wont name its fairly free too depending on ISP so why use P2P when your ISP has a free stockpile of pirated goods?"
  
  usenet ftw
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Boris Jacobsen, 15 Sep 2006 @ 3:03am

16x
I have a 16x DVD burner. Does that mean I have 16 DVD burners?
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- Anonymous Coward, 15 Sep 2006 @ 3:19am
  
  Re: 16x
  yes
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  - Tek'a, 15 Sep 2006 @ 3:33am
    
    Re: Re: 16x
    yep. of course, the initial press releases (and lawsuits) will all list 2 or three times that many. the "list of crimes" will include all media on any computer, DVD, CD or VHS in your home, from that song you bought last week in iTunes to the Windows Start-up sounds to the unopened copy of Starship Troopers II your granny got ya cause she was told you like "that science stuff"
    
    sure, you might get the charges dropped like a hot potato when you fail to bend over and get out your wallet.. of course, they wont be having a press conference when they drop the suit and pretend to have never heard of you.
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GNUBear, 15 Sep 2006 @ 3:16am

Sssssh
Can you hear that whimpering sound? It's the sound of big-media desperation.
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hoeppner, 15 Sep 2006 @ 5:31am

i have 53x. woot 53 cd burners :D
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Overcast, 15 Sep 2006 @ 6:06am

Every 'significant blow' seems to actually make the file sharing software better.

Really - compare the old Napster with what's available now.

All the industry's whining and crying brought all the file sharing into the public eye.

If nothing else - I know one thing. I HATE the RIAA and MPAA more than I love the movies and videos they produce.

Thank god for video games and my piano :) So much better things to keep me busy anyway.
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ScytheNoire, 15 Sep 2006 @ 6:09am

Corporate Mafia
Just a legal question, but isn't there some sort of laws against having a mafia organization? What is the difference between the "mob" and organizations like the RIAA and MPAA? Both these organizations use strong-arm tactics, use lawyers like hitmen and thugs, and the monopolize the control of the majority of the entertainment business.

How are these companies different from the mafia?

Heck, they even line the pockets of politicians to get their way just like the mafia does. They have hit-lists of people they want wiped out, you can view them on their websites. They lie, constantly. They implant viruses, which they call DRM, on peoples computers, property that they themselves do not own. They stiffle creativity and prevent free speech (they are trying to keep the movie This Film Is Not Yet Rated from getting out).

Personally, I hope both these corporate mafia organizations are done away with. If only there was a non-corrupt politician out there loud enough to take them on.

Also, I have 32 DVD Burners, and 48 CD burners. Damn, I'm in trouble. :)
Oh, wait, I'm Canadian... :P
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- ebrke, 15 Sep 2006 @ 7:12am
  
  Re: Corporate Mafia
  "isn't there some sort of laws against having a mafia organization? What is the difference between the "mob" and organizations like the RIAA and MPAA?"
  
  The difference is that the *AA have bought and paid for the US Congress--the mafia never managed to do that.
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chris (profile), 15 Sep 2006 @ 6:35am

busting counterfitters
pirated music, like bootlegged CD's and DVD's, really are illegal. when you copy something and try to sell it, that's a real crime. that's what the **AA's should be doing, as much as it hurts me to say that.

there is a difference between getting a copy online for your personal use, and going in to business distributing stuff for money. those dudes on the street corners flipping burned disks are the one the **AA should be busting.

the **AA's of the world want to to see it differently, that any copy that you didn't pay the full retail price for is a crime.
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MASTER_VOYAGER, 15 Sep 2006 @ 7:43am

RIAA/MPAA CAN KISS MY BACKSIDE
I have a friend who moved here from the former Soviet Union, and one of the first comments he made to me was "American isn't free, you have a law for everything. At least in Russia I knew what was right and wrong".
Until they pry my DVD burner from my cold dead fingers, I will continue to copy my ligit cd collection and dvd collection. Long live the Republic, and death to the MafiaRIAA.
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FSERV, 15 Sep 2006 @ 7:43am

there are still tons of alternatives to standard mainstream P2P file sharing. some of the best types predate napster and are still alive and kicking...
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rob1138, 15 Sep 2006 @ 9:01am

It won't stop....
They will alway say that piracy is a problem for them that way they charge the consumer more. Its like the Oil/Gas Station Companys. As soon as the price of oil goes up they instantly increase the price at the pump. So then how can the price at the pump go up when the gas sitting in the tanks were purchased days or weeks before when it was cheaper?!?!
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rob1138, 15 Sep 2006 @ 9:01am

It won't stop....
They will alway say that piracy is a problem for them that way they charge the consumer more. Its like the Oil/Gas Station Companys. As soon as the price of oil goes up they instantly increase the price at the pump. So then how can the price at the pump go up when the gas sitting in the tanks were purchased days or weeks before when it was cheaper?!?!
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jeff, 15 Sep 2006 @ 9:54am

all of these signifigant blows are just like the signifigant blows the war on drugs brings to cocaine distribution in this country; signifigant amounts of blow STILL make it in to the country every day, and i still download music and movies.
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w1nX, 15 Sep 2006 @ 10:22am

Burners
I have a 16x8x4 - DVD rewriter = 512 DVD drives
I have a 52x32x16 CD rewriter = 26624 CD drives

Does this mean I'm gonna get busted?? I don't think my cracked copy of Nero or PowerISO can handle the buffering writing to those drives, let alone having 8 virtual drives mounted with PowerISO and 8 with Deamon Tools.

All of the piracy - none of the scurvy!!
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Music Pirate, 15 Sep 2006 @ 12:31pm

You can never stop piracy! HAW HAW HAW!
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Jeremy, 15 Sep 2006 @ 1:38pm

Oil and Gas Stations
To rob1138 commments: I'm not sure how gas stations relate to the RIAA busting a counterfeiting ring. Either way I don't think you understand how gas prices work. They are not directly tied to the price of crude oil but to the futures market which helps to smooth out the highs and lows of the oil market. You would not want to live in a world where the gallon/liter of gas you are paying today was tied to the current output/price of crude oil. Instead of a steady march to $3/gallon that we have been experiencing you could easily jump from $2.50 to $4.90 to $6.50 to $2.75 in as many days.

Well crap now I've gone way off topic.
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