For example, on their website the MPAA suggest in one paragraph that by violating a movie’s copyright people are stealing and that it’s no different to taking a movie from a shop.

Then a few paragraphs later they say that your “parents won’t be happy” if you’re fined $3000 for pirating movies.

When was the last time a thief was fined $3000 for taking a video from a store. Apparently it’s MUCH WORSE than stealing from a shop. Even though in the instance of stealing from a shop, the shop owner has actually lost something. i.e: He no longer has the ability to sell that DVD because it’s GONE.

In the case of piracy, the original owner loses nothing, the video that was purchased by the person it was “stolen” from has lost nothing, There is no scarcity of “intellectual property” as with real property, so it should not get as much protection under the law.

Despite the demonstrably lower level of harm caused to everyone involved when it comes to piracy, the penalties involved are much harsher.

The message the MPAA is trying to send is clear to me; if you want the latest DVD, go steal it from a store, the penalties are far less severe and apparently it’s “exactly the same thing”.

The great part about stealing directly from the store is that you get the artwork and an original DVD that the police can’t identify as stolen,

Back in the real world, it’s pretty clear that you’re causing actual harm to the poor victim of theft, who is now out of pocket for the price of a DVD.

Sadly, he’s not able to pass the cost along to the artists and other people who the MPAA punish for a lack of a theoretical “profit” that they would have made if every download of a movie translated to a lost sale (remember there’s no proof that people who pirate DVDs would ever have paid for the original – in fact it logically indicates the opposite).

The really painfully stupid thing about the whole situation is that for me, if I download or am given a pirated movie that I really like, I’ll generally go and buy the DVD so that I can show/lend it to my friends without having to fuck around with computers and players and codecs and TV out and cables when I’m at their house, because most people don’t have a computer strapped to their TV ready-to-go.

I have nearly 1000 DVDs and BluRay discs in my collection, whereas I have about 30 pirated movies on my HTPC (mostly because I can’t get them on disc). The fact that they’ve made a lot more out of me legitimately than they’ve ever lost through piracy doesn’t make a blind bit of difference to them.

Way to go MPAAssholes!

Ok done….

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

@Kirkwood

I don’t know what a PSA is nor do I care. However, after watching the video I certainly did not get the impression that it was trying to deliver a message that stealing creativity kills creativity. I only got that because I read the crappy sub-titles.

It was an extremly tacky, poorly made video that doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between copyright infringement and theft. Which are two entirely different concepts.

It also does not really explain HOW copyright theft has any impact on creativty. Indeed no one has been able to truly show any evidence that backs this claim up.

“Everybody does it that makes it right”. Well to be honest, yes it does make it right. The only reason it is “wrong” is because those in power who stand to gain from it being wrong say it is.

The video was a preachy piece of shit that really didn’t deserve an award other than mayebe “biggest piece of arse kissing shit award”.

The same goes for many bands as well.

This movie is total GAY CRAP

Even if it’s not for profit, such use nevertheless illegal according to US law. Now pirating that music… that’s what… $750 per song? And pirating that movie… $5,000?

“And those students are not selling the videos for profit. So no.”

Wait, wait, wait so if I don’t sell the stolen copyrighted material it’s cool?

Alright, thanks for the info.

Because I was asked to participate. Again my comment nor the competition express my personal ethics. You didn’t see my video so you don’t know what I said in the video. For all you know I didn’t win because my video was filled with anti-MPAA criticism. Who the hell said that I was concerned with ethics?

I was simply clarifying the true nature of the MPAA involvement with SIFE so that you could be a little less ignorant about something you have had little if any participation with.

@Vadimka

You are a true scholar of words, retard.

Kirkwood may have “college” in the name, but the institution and its students tend to function more like high school. And after witnessing this little video, my observations have been confirmed.

It is frustrating being amongst a student body that is ignorant of even basic concepts of ethics, civics and spotting a con job.

PIRACY IS FOREVER BITCHES!
ONCE ITS STARTED!
ITLL NEVER END!

FUCK MPAA FUCK RIAA AND ALL THESE OTHER FUCKS OUT THERE

I never said this project had anything to do about my personal ethics nor my support for or against the MPAA. I am simply clarifying the real situation of the competition. Try reading before commenting.

@Bob

You are an idiot. How did I rat out “my fellow citizens.” No names where listed and no specific videos outlined. And they are not doing anything wrong so it wouldn’t matter.

@ Bryce & Ocho

It’s not the MPAA who are developing these movies it is students. Most of whom, I guess, really don’t get what the point of the competition is. And those students are not selling the videos for profit. So no.

I hope to dear god that they only did that for the money.

You have a LOT to learn about ethics. Go study.

Alberto Gonzales has a job for you ratting out your fellow citizens. Go for it, buddy.

How ignorant.

I’m not sure these videos will change the minds of hard core movie pirates, hell, i didn’t even buy into my own video and I have a stack of videos that I copied sitting on the desk in one of my shots, but changing a pirates mind wasn’t the goal anyway. The goal was to show that ethics are important to maintaining civilization and that although it is easier, cheaper, and the future of mass entertainment, coping movies or any other form of entertainment and sharing them is stealing and is unethical.

When someone “pirates” something it doesn’t kill creativity. Mostly anything “stolen” is only available because big corporate America is screwing people up the wazoo. The only reason I would “steal” anything is to see If I like it. If anything I’d rather test and dislike something then buy and hate it so much for wasting the money that I’d just give it a bad reputation to everyone I know. RIAA is nothing more than a bunch of stuck up, sold out music whores that want to take everything they can from the middle class. Music isn’t about money, its expression and when you forget that you lose your talent.