Congress gives $30,000,000 to 'fight' Piracy.

[Banana Jelly]

Recent studies have shown that -- despite a massive recession -- both the music and movie industries are having fantastic years. However, both industries are complaining about how they're being "killed" by "piracy." There's no evidence of this of course, but when it comes to copyright, politicians don't seem to believe evidence is necessary. They just spring into action. So, just as a bunch of Federal government representatives sat down for a private meeting with entertainment industry bosses, Congress agreed to earmark another $30 million to propping up their obsolete business models fighting "piracy." It's a nice deal. Copyright infringement should, by any honest definition of the term, be a civil issue, taken up between private parties. There is a criminal component to copyright law, but it makes little sense. However, now the Justice Department and other local officials have a pool of cash so that they can be the entertainment industry's police force and private prosecutors.

http://techdirt.com/articles/20091215/1817437375.shtml

More taxpayer money for you!

Seriously... I hope they are talking about counterfeiters. This is just ridiculous if this was for uploading/downloading. What are they going to do? RIAA style faggoty crap which works no wonder's or actually do something good to stear pirates to buying legimatley. Lower prices, because most pirates can't afford movies at $20 a pop which is only 1 time and you get bored with it.

Even though your not a pirate, you have to see the absurdity this is. Happy paying more taxpayer money

[Admiral Piett]

I think its time pirates fought back. By paying all of their users to download more stuff!

[Banana Jelly]

This isn't getting to a better solution either.

I rather wan't people to buy legally. But without the consumer being punished.
I rather love the Valve approach at this moment the best...

[removeduser_487563287433]

http://techdirt.com/articles/20091215/1817437375.shtml

More taxpayer money for you!

Seriously... I hope they are talking about counterfeiters. This is just ridiculous if this was for uploading/downloading. What are they going to do? RIAA style faggoty crap which works no wonder's or actually do something good to stear pirates to buying legimatley. Lower prices, because most pirates can't afford movies at $20 a pop which is only 1 time and you get bored with it.

Even though your not a pirate, you have to see the absurdity this is. Happy paying more taxpayer money

*Sigh*

How much thought did you give to the massive amount of money the Government earns in sales tax through music, movies, etc? Any?

[Banana Jelly]

So, sueing people will help the government get 10% of the amount the movie/music companies will get rewarded in the verdict?

There's no tax in digital sales...

[removeduser_487563287433]

So, sueing people will help the government get 10% of the amount the movie/music companies will get rewarded in the verdict?

No, it will encourage sales.

[Erlinggra]

No, it will encourage sales.

You do know that's just flat out wrong? Whenever a pirate is dragged to court and forced some ridicules settlement someone pulled out of an unnamed body cavity, piracy increases.

Just look at thepiratbay.

One original is paid for, converted online and downloaded by say, one million people. And you do not understand how anybody is losing money, really?

Not if say 500 000 ends up buying it, and 800 000 of those 1 million people would never have heard of the product were it not for downloads.

Almost all recent studies show piracy = more profit, the more people download the more they buy.

People download anything they can get their hands on though, even if its a "crap" product. and they keep doing it. over and over again. and then recommend downloading it to their friends.

And if just one of those people ends up buying the product. BAM you made money.

[removeduser_487563287433]

You do know that's just flat out wrong? Whenever a pirate is dragged to court and forced some ridicules settlement someone pulled out of an unnamed body cavity, piracy increases.

Just look at thepiratbay.

That's a false correlation if ever I saw one. You're basically saying we're in a time of increasing piracy oh and there have also been some court cases.

Not if say 500 000 ends up buying it, and 800 000 of those 1 million people would never have heard of the product were it not for downloads.

Almost all recent studies show piracy = more profit, the more people download the more they buy.

And this rests massively on the idea (completely unsupported, no matter how many unsourced studies you refer to) that a large proportion of people buy having downloaded something.

[Tiberius Tosi]

Damn I thought this would be about Somalian piracy, I would be all for us going on some kickass ship to ship fighting campaign until our 30 billion runs out. But no...digital piracy. Movie making is a HUGE industry and is an enourmous "export" of the US, so spending so much money to try and fight something that has been stealing from that business is understandeable. But nonetheless, this isn't going to stop me from downloading music (I actually see movies in theatre, movies on the computer tend to suck).

[Banana Jelly]

Movie making is a HUGE industry and is an enourmous "export" of the US

Yes. The movie industry is also gaining much more money then it does every year and still complain's that piracy is "killing" them...

Ferret: So has the RIAA style sueing affect anything? The sales actually went down much more... well at least for music. Rather then anything, it made people boycott RIAA and download more. The RIAA announced it stopped sueing to find a better approach because there original plan wasn't working out.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Yes. The movie industry is also gaining much more money then it does every year and still complain's that piracy is "killing" them...

Ferret: So has the RIAA style sueing affect anything? The sales actually went down much more... well at least for music. Rather then anything, it made people boycott RIAA and download more.

I said nothing about methods. I just pointed out that your complaint about tax payers money yee haw was false economy.

[Banana Jelly]

No your claim was that the goverment was making money of off sales.

So I said, because of piracy and the "lost" sales, when a company sues the person and get 1,000,000, does the goverment get there compensation? Well... do they?

Anyway, that 30,000,000 pricecheck is coming out of our pockets.

[Dr. Croccer]

I see the US is once again bending over to copyright.

[removeduser_487563287433]

The Government will be drawing in a massive amount of money through sales tax on the entertainment industry, yes.

I do not see why you are having trouble understanding why the Government would have an interest in stopping untaxable piracy.

[Banana Jelly]

I do not see why you are having trouble understanding why the Government would have an interest in stopping untaxable piracy.

Meaning counterfeiters? Counterfeit items are not taxed.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Meaning counterfeiters? Counterfeit items are not taxed.

Huh? No I mean piracy.

[Tiberius Tosi]

Yes. The movie industry is also gaining much more money then it does every year and still complain's that piracy is "killing" them...

Well when they are making records at 10.6 billion made in 2009 thus far and it is estimated conservatively that they lost 5 billion to pirating...that is still HUGE. I mean you may think of the film industry as just a few rich hollywood actors that get paid ridiculous amounts of money but the other business behind the entire movie process is absolutely gargantuan and profits would only lead filmmakers to take more risks with their movies meaning larger budget and more jobs. Any ways you look at it, that is a LOT of lost taxes there by the government.

[Banana Jelly]

Well when they are making records at 10.6 billion made in 2009 thus far and it is estimated conservatively that they lost 5 billion to pirating...that is still HUGE. I mean you may think of the film industry as just a few rich hollywood actors that get paid ridiculous amounts of money but the other business behind the entire movie process is absolutely gargantuan and profits would only lead filmmakers to take more risks with their movies meaning larger budget and more jobs. Any ways you look at it, that is a LOT of lost taxes there by the government.

That figure is given by the lost sales of counterfeit items. Not digital piracy.

They can't tell or give an estimate of digital piracy unless they go through the logs of every filesharing/download site there is... Which they do not do... So all they do is just complain.

[Admiral Piett]

It's not piracy thats hurting sales, it's their releases. I'm talking both movies and music. Most of it these days is filth.

[Banana Jelly]

Piracy has 3 different meanings.

1. Somalian Piracy
2. Digital downloads
3. Counterfeit items

I don't know why on hell the last 2 would be counted as piracy, especially number 2...