Anything Forums

Is it wrong to illegitimately acquire intellectual property such as music, movies, or games that are no longer available by commercial, legal means?

Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:3141, old post ID:57907

I'd say no, not nesseccarily. There's plenty of out print books, and some kind of music you may not be able to get elsewhere on eBay. But are you including eBay as a legal means?

Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:3141, old post ID:57909

Yes, eBay would be a legal means so long as the copy is legitimate and not a bootleg, etc.

Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:3141, old post ID:57911

I honestly don't know what to say about this one.

Technically it's wrong, though 'piracy' of abandonware is generally overlooked as long as it's not being sold. I wouldn't (and haven't) lost any sleep over it.

I can rationalize it easily in a hundred different ways. But a big part of what makes it right or wrong is the intentions of the creator, and that's something you typically can't know. Add to the the fact that intellectually property is something by it's nature wants to be freely distributed.

But I guess I would say no, it's not wrong. In the end we live in a world where nothing is truly original, where everything is built upon the foundation of something that came before, and as such, you can't hold on to, can't lock up an idea forever, because if we did, we'd still be stuck in the dark ages. And seeing as copyright law gets changed every time Steamboat Willie is about to go public domain, you have to draw the line somewhere. And the logical point is where the owner no longer attempts to profit from the work.


Edit: a few minor changes for clarification. The overall thought remains as it was, but I really need to re-read these things before I post them.

Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:3141, old post ID:57912

Touche.

Archived topic from Anythingforums, old topic ID:3141, old post ID:57916