Why Copyright Infringement is a touchy subject?

Can’t afford the certain software you want? There’s always free open source software as an alternative/option.

New pinoy dictionary term:
Copyright – it pertains to the “right to copy”.
So sad but true, in the plight of a computer teacher like me, it’s quite conscience bothering to tell the students that piracy is really a bad thing when the truth is, I myself deploys these pirated software for them to use since we cannot fully implement Opensource applications since we have to admit that we got to adapt with the industry standards. But I’m still hoping that the Opensource industry will still grow and be fully implemented/observed in a country of responsible citizens.

One more thing. THe thing is, it is not only the pirates who are bed. it’s also those companies/people who sell their items at unaffordable prices. It’s not right. It’s immoral for some to monopolize items and let the people suffer. They are the ones who should be punished more. They project their elitist laws unto those who are less fortunate. Shame on them!

The concept of Intellectual Property should be taught in schools at an early age. A lot of people aren’t aware of the concept of it all.

In College people xerox books and think its ok. Well not until your actual Prof. is the author of that book, then you’ll get that embarrassing lecture about IP and Copyright. With the Prof. meager salary. A student had the audacity to steal a few pesos of royalty from him.

As for video games. We have a Microsoft and Sony offices here in the Philippines. But if you walk into a Sony Store. You can never buy a PS3 or PSP from Sony since it was never officially released here. Its all grey market imports. Microsoft will sell you a license of Vista and MS Office but not an Xbox 360. They could blame it all on piracy and mod chips. So why support this companies if they don’t even want to sell it us?

As a Mac user. I do buy original mac games. So the developers would continue to create games for the Mac. But if I couldn’t get a game here locally? What choices do I have? I could buy it online or download it for free. I don’t have a credit card, so if they refuse to accept my ATM debit mastercard. Just like the iTunes music store. I am going to pirate it.

Culturally we Filipinos are indeed a nation of freeloaders and cheapskates. When someone asks you what you do for a living? The next thing they would ask you is a free sample or a favor. It becomes very annoying since I am a cook. There is no such thing as a free lunch OK!

Copyright infringements is really very not here but everywhere else…everyones motto is just don’t get cought…even those in the industry like software developers who makes a living of it are ones who violate it the most…which is really ugly…but that’s reality

There is no question that all of us are guilty of piracy. And yes, it’s because we had to survive because of need and because a lot of these softwares are just so expensive. But really, when we start putting ourselves in the manufacturer’s shoes, we will understand the need for copyright.

BrianB I think it’s the opposite.
Since every politician cheats… to hell with them all :)

Actually, that first stone thingy doesn’t (and shouldn’t) apply. A convicted murder still has the right not to be murdered. Doesn’t matter how many people he killed. It’s just right and just.

On the topic of copyright infringement though, when it comes to software, games and movies, I’m mostly on the side of the pirates when considering the local market. Most, if not all of these products are priced for first-world markets, and those that normally buy the pirated versions wouldn’t be able to effectively afford the originals even if they wanted to. (I say “effectively afford” as in, a guy who earns 20k a month can’t afford to buy a 19k sandwich. Sure, he actually can, but there goes the rest of his life.) And yes, there’s always the “if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it” argument…but then again, that solves nothing. A product, no matter how illegal it may be, has been provided and said person can afford *that*.

Anton has a point. The reason piracy still lives on is because of the restrictive IP laws that hamper the transfer of technology from first-world countries to developing nations, forcing the latter to just copy or make rip-offs of the former’s technologies, products etc.

We may want to use licensed software, etc. but the costs of it are just too much for us. We try to develop our own technologies but they step in again via unfair trade rules and practices.

i vote for linux!

He, who have not sinned, cast the first stone.