Piracy Is O.K. If You Are Poor

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By now, most people in this country know piracy is illegal and you must pay full price for your retail software, games, music and movies. If you live in a country with lax copyright laws and you make $150 a month, piracy is okay. Seems fair. :rolleyes:

You say you can't afford the $699 price tag on Adobe Photoshop CS4? How about a $698 discount? That's the kind of deal you'll get here in Hanoi, where pirated software--and virtually any other kind of digital content--is sold indiscriminately at many local shops for about $15,000 dong (90 cents) per DVD, or half of that for a CD.
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It's interesting to note that Nam, if he ever wanted Photoshop SC4, would have to save for months before he could afford it at the full retail price.
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Yeah? So would I. What's your point? Doesn't mean it's morally or legally justified. People like Nam are part of the reason it's $700 in the first place.
 
Thats quite a conversion rate. But does the software come with the crack and keys and checked for viruses.
 
So it's ok if they are poor? So if they are so poor, how did they get that PC. Also, if pc games like Crysis are being pirated by the poor, what video card are they using to play it on? My thoughts are it is not the poor pirating...and it is wrong poor or not.
 
jimmyb said:
No they aren't.

Because supply is unlimited, software is priced to whatever the regional market can bear.
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Pirated copies can cost the company in different ways, the biggest being tech support. That cost gets put back into the product which legit customers have to cover.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
No they aren't.
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QFT.

Photoshop is as expensive as it is because:

1. No one provides an equally capable alternative for less, which would force Adobe to rethink their pricing, or find a way to be able to afford a better price while maintaining profitability.
2. People who want to be on the cutting edge of photo/image software will be using Photoshop.
3. If not the cutting edge, people also want the industry standard.
4. Because of 2 and 3, Adobe knows that people will pay through the nose for their products.

As for the piracy, I honestly feel that in some part, some of these companies actually take part in it and either leak it themselves, or someone within the company takes it upon themselves to give their company the finger, and they leak it to give the product more exposure, and in turn get more people intersted in the product and maybe even buy it. I just can't imagine that there's seriously that many talented people living in their moms' basements sitting there writing cracks all day but won't get a decent paying job in software development. Its obvious these guys know a thing or two if they can circumvent various copy protection schemes and CD key algorithms. There's no way you can tell me that it's all done at the hands of some 14 year old with no life away from the keyboard.
 
There are two viable options available to a business to profit off the rampant piracy. Keep in mind that the piracy in Vietnam is so rampant that it probably can't be stopped at this point.

One is to price your product to match the market. The vast majority there can't afford Photoshop, so the only choices available to an aspiring art student is to pirate it or find an alternative.

Second is to just let the piracy continue. Many businesses would rather have people pirate their own software rather than use a competing product. Someone who pirates Photoshop may buy and possibly promote it in the future.

Keep in mind that this logic really only applies to non-luxury software. There really isn't a compelling reason why games or movies should be pirated.
 
bonsai said:
Pirated copies can cost the company in different ways, the biggest being tech support. That cost gets put back into the product which legit customers have to cover.
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Support is usually not provided for expensive software (which is what you were talking about) without some sort of proof of purchase.

If you're talking about self-support via a website, then that is of no additional cost since it has to be provided anyway, bandwidth aside.
 
Pirated copies can cost the company in different ways, the biggest being tech support
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Yes, everyone I know who pirates things calls the company who made it to find out why they're no-CD crack isn't working. :rolleyes:


I don't have a problem with someone charging any amount of money for thier software. I don't pirate. If they are charging more than I am willing to pay, then fine they won't get my money. I don't have a god given right to cheap or free software.
 
I can't afford a Lamborghini because I'm "poor", so I shouldn't be arrested for stealing one.....


It's one thing if you are poor and you steal food, it's a whole nother thing if you are poor and you're ripping the latest version of Adobe CS3 for your new powerbook.
 
vengence said:
Yes, everyone I know who pirates things calls the company who made it to find out why they're no-CD crack isn't working. :rolleyes:
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The amount of times we see stuff coming through where it’s like, the resolution to the problem was [the] guy had a pirated copy of the game… The amount of money we spend supporting people who didn’t pay us for the game in the first place…it’s f–ing ludicrous. We talk to other developers, guys who are [like] ‘Yeah, it’s a third, it’s 50% of our [customer] support.’
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http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/10/13/bethesda-deals-with-pirates/

It would completely illogical to assume this doesn't happen with other software as well. And support is much encompassing than just a call center.
 
I read the article quickly so I might not have noticed it.But I dont see the part where the writer say that piracy is OK. He proposes that companies sell the software for less.
 
Just because everyone in this thread is a fucking baller doesn't mean everyone in the world is, too.
 
i am poor i may have a computer. but you know what with how the Stock market is and jobs are. it sucks. i see nothing wrong with it. if i company wants to stop it. they will get smart but until. then bi#ching about it does nothing. and some people are not rich like on here. it just makes me mad. cuz you know what. stealing software online is not as bad. as jacking a car or breaking in a house.
 
dong currency ftw, I know plenty of ex g/f's who would love to give it up to their currency
 
Gulkor said:
i am poor i may have a computer. but you know what with how the Stock market is and jobs are. it sucks. i see nothing wrong with it. if i company wants to stop it. they will get smart but until. then bi#ching about it does nothing. and some people are not rich like on here. it just makes me mad. cuz you know what. stealing software online is not as bad. as jacking a car or breaking in a house.
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Your amazing use of punctuation and capitalization has compelled me to agree with your statement that taking someone's digital IP or real property. :rolleyes:

Let’s assume for a minute you invent a new engine that gets 100mpg and puts out 1000HP. You believe you shouldn't be able to charge whatever you want for that engine? In fact you should be forced to give it away to people for 1$ if that's what they want to pay you for it? Remind me again, why anyone is going to bother putting any money to develop new technology in this world of yours? :confused:
 
Didn't China claim MS should sell their products priced for the local economy after MS turned on the "black background of pirated software" warning?
 
Steve said:
By now, most people in this country know piracy is illegal and you must pay full price for your retail software, games, music and movies. If you live in a country with lax copyright laws and you make $150 a month, piracy is okay. Seems fair. :rolleyes:
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I remember a time, back in the early 2000's, when you would allude to pirating music on the front page and ask for suggestions of thingsto download. How times have changed.
 
Gulkor said:
i am poor i may have a computer. but you know what with how the Stock market is and jobs are. it sucks. i see nothing wrong with it. if i company wants to stop it. they will get smart but until. then bi#ching about it does nothing. and some people are not rich like on here. it just makes me mad. cuz you know what. stealing software online is not as bad. as jacking a car or breaking in a house.
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appaling grammer aside he's right...

this equation of piracy to stealing is wrong... like those stupid things on some dvds where hey equate downloading to taking a purse or a car... its not and get over it.

as for "piracy" if these companies wouldn't price their shit as high as they do piracy would go down. someone mentioned art students...perfect example. Multimedia/design etc is a competitive field... you need more time to get good than is given in classes/labs. to be competitive in the job market you need to know the industry standard damn well.. 99% of students cannot afford the product and are going to download it. I fully support this. These companies are getting what they deserve until they bring their prices in line with reality. If people can make operating systems less than art programs..or free. then they can lower the prices of their crap and still turn a fair profit.

raise the jolly roger.
 
hehehe people are saying dongs.

Why they hell do they need photoshop? they need a bath and couple of bombs of Democratic and freedom dropped on their asses and that is about it.
 
Do they walk in with a barrel of dongs to buy software?
 
Manaknight said:
appaling grammer aside he's right...

this equation of piracy to stealing is wrong... like those stupid things on some dvds where hey equate downloading to taking a purse or a car... its not and get over it.

as for "piracy" if these companies wouldn't price their shit as high as they do piracy would go down. someone mentioned art students...perfect example. Multimedia/design etc is a competitive field... you need more time to get good than is given in classes/labs. to be competitive in the job market you need to know the industry standard damn well.. 99% of students cannot afford the product and are going to download it. I fully support this. These companies are getting what they deserve until they bring their prices in line with reality. If people can make operating systems less than art programs..or free. then they can lower the prices of their crap and still turn a fair profit.

raise the jolly roger.
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They have student versions of their software. Also nearly every major university has labs these students can use the software in.
 
$1800 a year would be pretty damn bad. I don't think I'd even have a computer to install the pirated software on, unless I could plug it in at the soup kitchen.
 
Ockie said:
I can't afford a Lamborghini because I'm "poor", so I shouldn't be arrested for stealing one.....


It's one thing if you are poor and you steal food, it's a whole nother thing if you are poor and you're ripping the latest version of Adobe CS3 for your new powerbook.
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I see your point, although I think the comparison only fits if it were possible to make a perfect copy of someone's Lambo at no additional cost to the manufacturer.;)
 
Steve said:
By now, most people in this country know piracy is illegal and you must pay full price for your retail software, games, music and movies. If you live in a country with lax copyright laws and you make $150 a month, piracy is okay. Seems fair. :rolleyes:
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Do you think that Adobe Photoshop would be the defacto standard in graphics editing if aspiring young graphics artists or hobbyists turned professionals had to pay full price for it?
 
If these people can't even afford to buy a game like Medal of Honor, how can they afford a computer to run those games in the first place? :confused:

This would seem like a great market for free open source software.. Instead of pirating Vista or buying it for $700, just install a Linux OS and run OpenOffice, Gimp etc. I know Word, Photoshop etc. are more advanced, but 99% of the users don't need or even know how to use the advanced functionality. Only gamers really need Windows these days.
 
There is a difference between luxury and non-luxury. There's no way to justify stealing or pirating a luxury item. However, one can justify stealing/pirating something that's perceived as non-luxury.

The question is: is something like Photoshop considered a "luxury"? I don't consider it one. Not in today's world. If some poor sap wants to pirate it so he/she can learn the software with hope of having a better future than the life of an everyday sweatshop worker, then so be it. Maybe the person will become the next Photoshop guru and buy a few licenses in the future.

Regardless, Adobe wouldn't have lost a sale because the person was incapable of buying it anyway. The best Adobe can hope for is that their product gets used - pirated copy or otherwise. Or lower the price so people can buy it.

Remember, we're not talking about a first world country where "rich" people like us can afford something but would rather pirate just because we can.



The bigger problem I see is that piracy is so prevalent in the country that people who can actually afford it will probably think it's okay to buy an illegal copy. That's a problem that should've been solved before it even started by pricing products reasonably for the market the companies are selling to. Now every software publisher will have a hard time selling any kind of software at any price; many won't even bother.
 
vengence said:
They have student versions of their software. Also nearly every major university has labs these students can use the software in.
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did you ever try doing any major art projects in a lab? it's a nightmare. and the student versions i've run into still cost more than a quad.

I'm sorry but until you price your software under 200 bucks i stand behind those that choose to acquire their software from other sources. same goes for games... i remember all the cool stuff i got when i bought a computer game years ago, now i get a smaller box, no extras, and get charged more than i used to pay.... yeah...makes me want to run right out and support you...
 
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