Is the RIAA suing you?

[ggw]

<img src="http://graphics.theonion.com/pics_3929/infograph_3929.jpg" alt=" - " />

[paige]

stabbing hookers is the best .....

[myuman]

Originally posted by mankie:
  Thanks for the tip..I'll go into a jewellers tonight and steal myself my favorite Omega watch, not everything in the store. I won't let anyone else borrow the watch so if I get caught I can tell them paige said it was okay.

This is a very simplistic (and ignorant if you ask me) analogy to use.  How about this one.  I come up with a great idea to present to my company at the next board meeting, the only problem is, I preview it with a couple of my friends before hand.  Come board meeting time, my boss opens the meeting with my idea.  I ask him about it, he claims he was working with it for months.  I happen to be in great standing with several lawyers and judges in the area, as well as some heavy politicians.  I convince them that "stealing" my ideas before I can cash in on them is a felony.  Laws then blossom condemming stealing my ideas.  I choose to disregard the fact that the incident I'm drawing from could have been averted and/or used to my advantage.
 
 Or closer yet.  You find the before mentioned Omega watch not in a jewerly store (because breaking into that IS a crime) but sitting on the curb across the street.  You know full well that it was dropped/left behind in the relocation process from a vehicle to the store.  Mind you, the store still "owns" the watch (being the last that actually paid for it).  
 
 Lastly... the U.S. govt. long ago abandoned the process of constructing coined money with materials that cost more than the value in which the coin represents.  Of course people were "taking them out of circulation".  The Govt. got smart and constructed them out of "less pricey" materials to take away the motivation.

[ggw]

Here's an example -- Rather than giving away someone elses property by "sharing" it online with several million others, you simply make 3,000,000 copies of somebody else's CD or software and then distribute it for free to whoever wants it.  Not a crime?
 
 You can try to couch your thievery in tirades about how the record industry is evil or could have "handled things better," but none of that changes the fact that you are a thief.
 
 Here's a question for you to ponder:  Do you think that the record industry treats the artists well?  How do you treat the artist any better when you steal the fruits of his labor and give it away without his permission?

[paige]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Here's an example -- Rather than giving away someone elses property by "sharing" it online with several million others, you simply make 3,000,000 copies of somebody else's CD or software and then distribute it for free to whoever wants it.  Not a crime?
 
 You can try to couch your thievery in tirades about how the record industry is evil or could have "handled things better," but none of that changes the fact that you are a thief.
 
 Here's a question for you to ponder:  Do you think that the record industry treats the artists well?  How do you treat the artist any better when you steal the fruits of his labor and give it away without his permission?

ggw have you ever, ever, ever, downloaded even one song in your entire life? i'm just curious.

[ggw]

Originally posted by paige:
 ggw have you ever, ever, ever, downloaded even one song in your entire life? i'm just curious.

Sure.  I had Napster and kazaa.  Now I just stick to Insound, band websites, label sites, etc... If I hear about a band and want to listen to them, I don't usually have a problem finding a legal mp3.
 
 I'm not telling you not to download -- that's between you and your conscience.  I just think people ought to give up the fallacious rationalizations concerning why stealing isn't really stealing.  If somebody wants to steal, that's their choice, but they ought to have the cojones to admit that it's stealing.

[paige]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Sure.  I had Napster and kazaa.  Now I just stick to Insound, band websites, label sites, etc... If I hear about a band and want to listen to them, I don't usually have a problem finding a legal mp3.
 
 I'm not telling you not to download -- that's between you and your conscience.  I just think people ought to give up the fallacious rationalizations concerning why stealing isn't really stealing.  If somebody wants to steal, that's their choice, but they ought to have the cojones to admit that it's stealing.

ok... i see your point. it's just that you sounded as though you were superhuman and had completely escaped the lure of downloading (illegally). i think that people (especially younger kids) don't know about the legal mp3 sites and other resources that allow them to get music without having to feel guilty. however, it is also hard to convince people to pay for music (iTunes) when there are myriads of songs and other media out there for free. it may not be right, but that doesn't always cross people's minds.

[mjnova]

Originally posted by ggw™:
   

Originally posted by paige:
 ggw have you ever, ever, ever, downloaded even one song in your entire life? i'm just curious.

Sure.  I had Napster and kazaa.  Now I just stick to Insound, band websites, label sites, etc... If I hear about a band and want to listen to them, I don't usually have a problem finding a legal mp3.
 
 I'm not telling you not to download -- that's between you and your conscience.  I just think people ought to give up the fallacious rationalizations concerning why stealing isn't really stealing.  If somebody wants to steal, that's their choice, but they ought to have the cojones to admit that it's stealing. [/b]

Yes it's stealing, that doesn't change the fact that the RIAA blew it.  And anyway, am I going to find the Daryl Strawberry classic "Chocolate Strawberry" in a record store?  Am I gonna hear say Gang of Four or Wire or Mission of Birma on the radio?  I buy obscene amounts of CDs and attend loads of concerts.  Thats where I burn [pun intended] most of my disposable income.  My concience is clean.  The guilt trip doesn't work on me, or anyone else who actually cares enough about music to still buy albums.

[thirsty moore]

One of the RIAA's main points during this whole ordeal is that it is impossible to compete with free.  The music industry heads aren't idiots, they're just bad at grasping onto trends.
 
 

Originally posted by paige:
 however, it is also hard to convince people to pay for music (iTunes) when there are myriads of songs and other media out there for free. it may not be right, but that doesn't always cross people's minds.

[ggw]

I think people have a hard time realizing that "the music industry is evil" is not related to "downloading and distributing somebody else's copyrighted property is okay."
 
 The first statement is true; the second is false.  People seem to fall into the fallacy of believing that since the first statement is true, then that makes the second one true as well.
 
 However, part of why the music industry is evil is that they screw the artists.  If I steal from the artist, I'm really no better than the industry.

[paige]

ggw, i think that people fall back on the first statement as justification for the second. ok, so you may be one of the very few who is just far far above the whole illegal downloading thing, but how do you expect for the other millions of downloaders to buy your point? just saying "that's wrong" with no immediately ensuing consequences isn't that threatening to a lot of people, nor is it believable. think of people who don't follow the speed limit. yes, it's illegal, but it's not like once your car goes over the limit a police car just shows up to pull you over. it's not as simple as that. (i think that was a bad analogy but oh well)

[kosmo vinyl]

the riaa is out passing out expensive speeding tickets in order to prove their point that's illegal to download copywrited material.  they are also hoping that it will create a chilling climate so that amount of sharing will subside and it's no longer status quo.
 
 however the riaa will only force file sharing underground and offshore with their actions.

[paige]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  the riaa is out passing out expensive speeding tickets in order to prove their point that's illegal to download copywrited material.  they are also hoping that it will create a chilling climate so that amount of sharing will subside and it's no longer status quo.
 
 however the riaa will only force file sharing underground and offshore with their actions.

i know they are beginning to go after file sharers... but do you really think that they can/will go after EVERYONE who downloads illegally? i don't know if that is possible, or if they'll have the time, resolve, and money to do so. i won't lie that it has scared me a little bit... i am considering just wussing out and deleting.. haha. but as you say, people will still find a way to share files even after it's been "ended" by the riaa. if they have those smart computer people to help track down the file sharers.. dont' you think that there are people just like that who are on the side of the downloaders? maybe.

[mankie]

They will probably go after people at random...so the chance of getting caught is probably very remote. It would be sweet though if markie got nailed and then deported for being a convicted felon....okay, okay, I'm just kidding, I wouldn't wish anything like that on anyone...(except maybe GGW    )

[paige]

Originally posted by mankie:
  They will probably go after people at random...so the chance of getting caught is probably very remote. It would be sweet though if markie got nailed and then deported for being a convicted felon....okay, okay, I'm just kidding, I wouldn't wish anything like that on anyone...(except maybe GGW     )

would he get deported back to canada? how aboot that, eh?