Watching companies try and
take on the torrent websites for imposing copyright infringement is much like
watching a film about heroes and villains. We all secretly want the hero to win
yet still we find ourselves wondering what the villains next move could be and
once they have been struck, will they get back up to fight again. The issues
surrounding copyright are hard to enforce as it’s clear with access to websites
such as pirate bay and BitTorrent it’s arguable that everybody is a pirate but
it also depends on what level they take piracy to. Its taboo to write on the
internet yes I’ve done a couple of downloads but let’s face facts - I have, my
friends have and I’m assuming the rest of the world (who have internet access)
have. In fact a student from my previous college got fined for posting Arctic
Monkeys album on a website weeks before its release. It questionable to know
whether or not our ‘couple’ of downloads a month or year can affect industries
such as music, books and film but with all our downloads put together its
impact can be highly damaging. It’s extremely apparent that there are several
problems with the economy and piracy in the US with 71,060 job losses and $422
million in tax revenue (Music, Money and
Piracy article) in the music industry. There are also significant losses in
the film industry with films such as Fast Five being the top pirated film of
2011. It has even made James Cameron pursue making more films into 3D and
empathizing that ‘making movies
in 3D would help put people off from downloading films illegally’
(BBC news).
Our access to the internet
would benefit us greatly if we used the knowledge for education, development
and to keep up to date with the news. But some pirates take this too far with
the release of films that haven’t had their debut on the silver screen. It’s
understandable for films that are years old and should be kept alive, even if
the download is free. As a film student I find myself in the middle of the
argument, unclear of what side I should really be taking. On one hand I think
it’s important to see films in the cinema to have the opportunity to enjoy the
film, experience others actions and reactions and the overall escapism of it
all and allowing yourself to be involved with the character. Yet even so,
pirate films are free, well they also technically not as you have to pay for
your internet. But if a film is posted in a different country to the films
release should they be punished? Pirate Bay is based in Sweden therefore when DreamWorks
had issues with their posting of Shrek 2 online they found themselves in a
pickle and suggested to DreamWorks that ‘As you may or may not be aware, Sweden
is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden
is a country in northern Europe. Unless you
figured it out by now, US
law does not apply here. For your information, no Swedish law is being
violated… Go fuck yourself.’ In my opinion I found the language unnecessary but
I also find the letter refreshing at the same time that a pirate company would
stand against the film industry, an industry that makes their website highly
popular. In my understanding I don’t think they realise they could work as a
team to benefit one another. For example, taking an old film that is being
forgotten about and make it available for the public for free, it may even
again more money for both industries by promotion of old films. Piracy either
way is inevitable and if we punish one person, we must punish them all.
However, when watching a
pirate film you don’t feel all those feelings you have when attending a film at
the cinema and all you do is save a couple of quid
It’s important to remind
ourselves that people spend up to 200 days making this film for your 2 hour
enjoyment, this is people’s lives at the end of the day and have people
forgotten about Orange Wednesdays?
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