Is downloading TV content an act of piracy?

[whatcdfan]

:blink:

Speak.............

[stoi]

I would say yes, because they come out with box sets for people to buy (never understood why people buy them though as you can just watch them on the TV) and also the viewing figures, if they drop like with Heroes and Twin Peaks, they cut the show as its not worth paying for the show and the advertisers pull out because they are not hitting the audience they were for the 1st series.

[a7x]

Yes.they come out on TV, but sometime only once or twice. So production makes money with DVD afterward. You download them, you cut the profit.

[anon]

Is downloading TV content an act of piracy?

What makes you think otherwise :unsure:


I would say yes, because they come out with box sets for people to buy (never understood why people buy them though as you can just watch them on the TV)

Watching the episodes when you want, as many times as you wish? TV won't give you that, at least not where I live.

[stoi]

We have cable boxes with HDDs in them, clever inventions, download a program/movie (obviously from TV not download as we know it) and watch it again and again if you want. You also have Iplayers galore, miss an episode, watch it on the net.

[megabyteme]

For one, nothing we download is an act of "piracy" except in terms that the word "piracy" has been attached to downloading media. There is a world of difference between its original usage, and the bastardized name that has been attached to downloading copies of digital media without paying the rightsholder(s) as many times as they want to be paid for that media.

As for the television shows themselves, no. Traditionally, these shows have either been free over-the-air with commercials, or pay television by subscription.

While downloaders do not obtain the shows from the rightsholder(s), THEY DO STILL WATCH THE CONTENT. Which is, more and more, filled with product placements- which are paid for by advertisers. And, yes, the media companies do keep track of how many "viewers" are doing so via download- AND CHARGING ACCORDINGLY for our viewership. They also have the ability to sell branded merchandise, and create spin-offs, as well as movies- if there is a large enough following for the show.

Look at the number of production companies springing up all across the globe. This is being done at the very same time as we are being blamed for the failure of revenues to create new shows. Bullshit.

Look at the mega-blockbusters that are bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars each- while still being downloaded rampantly.

No. We are not "pirates"; we are not thieves- we are consumers and a very vital part of the equation.

[a7x]

No. We are not "pirates"; we are not thieves- we are consumers and a very vital part of the equation.

http://filesharingtalk.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[whatcdfan]

Ok, Thanks everyone for showing up. I have read all the comments and I'm not going to quote 'em individually.

The basic point of argument was that everything that is on TV is free anyways (apart from the subscription fee but that too has no point when the shows are filled with advertisements) and for sure with the modern technology and services we are facilitated to watch it when we like it and how many times we wish to see it. I thought, it's way too obvious to be mentioned in the original post.

The DVD point raised was sure a good argument but the argument can also be further stretched what Stoi came up with.

[megabyteme]

http://filesharingtalk.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Gee. Brilliantly argued. :rolleyes:

[a7x]

Gee. Brilliantly argued. :rolleyes:

I say nothing :rolleyes:

[megabyteme]

Gee. Brilliantly argued. :rolleyes:

I say nothing :rolleyes:

Care to expand on that?

[Night0wl]

For me it's a lack of missing options. Most of the shows I watch I wouldn't be able to watch otherwise, either due to availability or time restrictions, unless buying the DVD when available (maybe) often many months later. And lets face it, most aren't worth paying money for.

BTW there is no law or regulation for or against it where I live.

[xJohnxSmithx]

I figure, if you pay for cable. It's no different than DVRing it. I highly doubt that would hold up in court though. ;)

[InTheBasement]

I say nothing :rolleyes:

Care to expand on that?

He's Not-Care to explain it to us.

[a7x]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/argue

(intransitive) To have an argument, a quarrel.

You work as a lawyer?

[Xbox_360]

I think for 1 if you can view it on the networks site for free I guess it should be alright I mean you can see if for free in crappy flash. 2 if you pay for cable/Sat and have a DVR I can't see why not? you can record the show like xJohnxSmithx said. In reality it is probably illegal to download, that and any copyright stuff unless you own a copy or the rights to the item itself and even then it would depend on your local laws, things are different everywhere.

[phrenzy]

I got a DCMA violation email from my old ISP cox for downloading a TV ep in 2004... From NBC studios.... According to them is it was piracy...lol.... Though I did download it from a public tracker....

[mjmacky]

Though I enjoy the spirit of the argument, I want to ask are you guys all retarded?

Content license holders do not care about logical equivalence. They care about licensed distribution. As in, the cable company is allowed to feed you the program that you record on your DVR, the DVD purchase/rental is giving you the right to view it on your DVD player, etc. There are lots of ways that the licensing gets violated outside of blatant piracy, including "public performance rights" (e.g. a teacher putting on a movie during exam week). They have injected into legislation enough diction to assert full control over the viewing experience of a movie/tv show.

So what I'm saying, is stop pussyfooting this issue and acknowledge that you are violating the copyright holder's protections through every download. I don't try to justify it, I admit it and say to the license holders, fuck you and your unreasonably corrupt measures. I want this oppositional force to cripple these industries until they rectify their consumer abusive practices. I won't be satisfied until all the media is in web available, reasonably priced, DRM free, and with impressive download speed. After all, piracy has been able to set up multiple systems that meet those conditions, either match it or improve upon it.

So yeah, downloading TV shows are illegal, own that shit like a man or woman, not like little kids. If you are a little kid, I'm sorry, don't play this game until you grow up.

[mrnobody]

"is downloading TV content an act of piracy?"

duh..

[managedhybrid]

It is an act of piracy I say. This is my opinion only. Because at the end of the day if people watched in regular times those shows would get more money from advertisement (which they need) to survive + make money from. If someone downloads series off one DVD how will someone get paid for their part?