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What is Online Piracy?

Brendan McGuigan
Brendan McGuigan

Online piracy is a term used to describe the illegal copying of copyrighted materials from the Internet. The term is widely used, both by opponents and proponents of online piracy. Opponents, such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) use the term to attempt to equate copyright violators with the pirates of the high seas who plundered ships. Proponents use the term to recollect the romanticism of the pirate lifestyle, with its stressing of individual freedom and liberation among all else. The term piracy in this context actually has its origins long before the advent of the Internet, with the author Daniel Defoe referring to pyrates making illegal copies of his books in 1703.

There are three main types of piracy in this context: music piracy, movie piracy, and software piracy. Although others exist, they are much less common, as they tend to relate to very specialized disciplines. By contrast, although the numbers are not precisely known, hundreds of millions of people partake in online piracy worldwide. The effects of online piracy are not well established, with each side presenting various reports that establish radically different ideas.

Software piracy is one of the three main types of online piracy.
Software piracy is one of the three main types of online piracy.

Proponents of online piracy hold that the financial impact of piracy is negligible, and that in some cases piracy may actually help sales of a product. They argue that the vast majority of people who pirate music, videos, and software are not people who would purchase the product in the first place. Some also argue that some people pirate music to see if they enjoy it, and once they do they begin buying actual CDs, or legal copies of the songs, or attending concerts and feeding money into the system in that way. They further point out that the majority of the price of a sale does not go to the artist, and that except in the cases of top performers, the artists can be helped by fans pirating their music and donating to them, or attending concerts, so that they see nearly all of the money.

A person convicted of online piracy may face a jail sentence.
A person convicted of online piracy may face a jail sentence.

Opponents of online piracy hold that it poses a serious threat to artistic and creative development in the world. They hold that piracy cuts into profits, reducing the amount of money an artist or programmer can expect to make, and therefore reducing the incentive for them to create new work. They further point out that most modern music is produced not only by artists, who may be compensated by attending concerts or donations, but by a large support staff, including engineers, publishers, and designers, who may choose to no longer support the medium if they can’t make a living at it.

Making unauthorized copies of movies for friends is a form of online piracy.
Making unauthorized copies of movies for friends is a form of online piracy.

The battle against online piracy, or at least electronic piracy, has been going on since before there was an Internet, with early software manufacturers attempting novel security features to stop people from making illegal copies of their software. A great deal of contemporary music and videos are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) packages, which attempt to limit the number of computers a media file can be used on. Opponents, however, point out that DRM often winds up crippling the media for legitimate buyers of the media, and that hackers can easily strip DRM if they really want to pirate it.

Hackers may break into secure servers to illegally download private data.
Hackers may break into secure servers to illegally download private data.

Neither piracy, nor the fight against it seem likely to go away anytime soon. Security measures continue to be developed, as do the techniques used to break them, and distribute copyrighted material freely. In many cases, the implementation of DRM and other security measures has provoked a consumer backlash, with some groups boycotting products that implement DRM. In Europe, actions against online piracy have sparked political backlash, with a nationally recognized Pirate Party winning seats in Parliament. The international nature of piracy, and the fact that different countries have very different laws about it, is another factor complicating the issue as a whole.

Discussion Comments

anon973448

I am a student doing a major research project on "How have businesses changed with technology over the past 50 years?" I was just wondering if there were any implications of technological evolution on the relationship between risks and profits in a business.

indigomoth

@Iluviaporos - I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, I do support the idea of people exchanging digital information freely and then purchasing physical items. Not even disks or books, but also merchandise. I know a lot of online comics make a living through this.

But I also think it should be the artist's choice as to how their work is consumed. There should be online protection from piracy, because copyright is there for a reason. We only have people who can dedicate their lives to art and become great because they can make enough money to support themselves. Without copyright protection that ability might be in jeopardy.

lluviaporos

@Fa5t3r - See, the problem with that argument is the same one that I run into again and again from authors. They look at all these thousands of illegal downloads of their work and despair because those were supposedly all sales they could have made.

But the truth is that I don't think piracy is an alternative to sales. I think people want to pay for work, but piracy is just either easier, more convenient or they simply can't afford the work otherwise.

Those illegally downloaded copies wouldn't be bought in a store if they weren't available or there was no piracy. They just wouldn't be accessed at all. There are even authors and other artists who think that providing free downloads of their work improves their sales, because people like having a physical copy of a book and if they love something they will spread the news about it, resulting in more people spending money on it.

Fa5t3r

I just wish there was a way to make piracy more personal. I think it's difficult for people to see mass produced items, particularly ones that are easy to copy, as something that has been created by real people who are going to miss out on income if their work is pirated.

I've heard people say that they don't mind ripping off big corporations, but they would never illegally download an independent artist's work, because those people need the money. But it's a cumulative effect. If no one will buy the work from the corporations they will stop making it because it's not profitable.

Modern day piracy is not nearly as romantic as people like to paint it. There's nothing noble about the long, slow destruction of art.

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    • Software piracy is one of the three main types of online piracy.
      By: alexskopje
      Software piracy is one of the three main types of online piracy.
    • A person convicted of online piracy may face a jail sentence.
      By: Ariusz
      A person convicted of online piracy may face a jail sentence.
    • Making unauthorized copies of movies for friends is a form of online piracy.
      By: Michael Flippo
      Making unauthorized copies of movies for friends is a form of online piracy.
    • Hackers may break into secure servers to illegally download private data.
      By: Artur Marciniec
      Hackers may break into secure servers to illegally download private data.
    • Music and movies downloaded through online piracy may be burned to a CD for distribution.
      By: Alysta
      Music and movies downloaded through online piracy may be burned to a CD for distribution.
    • Online piracy includes the theft of financial data.
      By: Aramanda
      Online piracy includes the theft of financial data.
    • Bootleg recordings of live music concerts have been pirated online.
      By: Andrei Tsalko
      Bootleg recordings of live music concerts have been pirated online.