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I just watched a bootleg of The Dark Knight. And not off the internet, a real deal camcorder-in-the-movie-theater bootleg. Old Skool.

Outside of one scene that got washed out blue(lame anti-piracy thing that didn't work at all), it was excellent.
I mean, I know its a "crime" but I don't really feel criminal when I do it. The thing I was reminded of was when you have to watch ten minutes of "PIRACY IS EEEEEEVIL!" before you can watch the 90 minute DVD that you spent 20 dollars on. The same with downloading music. I wasn't going to buy the CD anyhow, 9 times out of 10, and most of the stuff that I listen to "illegally" I already own or it is off a website where the musicians or their labels already get some compensation for releasing rights to listen to it(Pandora, Imeem, Slacker, etc.)

I used to steal music in college, but have since come to believe it is wrong and have been a paying iTunes customer for 3 or 4 years now. If someone gives me a mix or something, or a CD they love I wouldn't otherwise buy, I think that's no biggie. But I buy most of the music I obtain.

Movies are a whole different ballgame, as they cost 10x what an album costs, and there is significant risk in putting a movie out. Probably less so in "The Dark Knight," but the fact remains that the movie industry is a risky one for investors. And let's face it, they bring great joy to our lives, and they are often laborious to make, involving hundreds of people over a several month period. I think $10 to buy a new movie is well worth it, or $3 or 4 bucks renting.

I believe artists should get paid for what they create, and they do get less when sales slump due to bootlegging.

I believe artists should get paid for what they create, and they do get less when sales slump due to bootlegging.

I sure won't be shedding a tear. Even add all the bootlegging up and the % is still probably less in most cases then the difference for Joe Schmoe to save $15~. Last I checked the vast majority of musicians and actors are making a pretty damn good living...let me know if you hear about one signing up for unemployment...

I go back and forth on this.
I think copyright should be limited, shortened in length, and lifted off a lot of stuff that should become public domain.
It just seems to do more harm than good, and all the copyrighting and anti-piracy techniques and campaigns and all of that seem to push the price of the product to an absurd height.

I think people make a mistake trying to reconcile their actions by pointing to "realities" in the recording industry or with copyright law. We don't have to have a perfect system in place for it to be compulsory to, you know, pay for the stuff you obtain.

Last I checked the vast majority of musicians and actors are making a pretty #### good living...let me know if you hear about one signing up for unemployment...

What a joke. You're obviously speaking of the top few that really made it. There are thousands upon thousands of hungry musicians and actors waiting for their break or struggling with meager sales. If movies and records are more profitable, there will be more of an incentive to sign artists to deals, make records, and make movies. This leads to the employment of not only the artist, but all of the related professions (sound engineer, gaffer, producer, etc.). Furthermore, successful albums and blockbuster movies often subsidize the smaller projects. It's like poker, you win a big hand, you play the next one, no matter what your cards. You hit it big with a movie, you're damn sure that investor is putting it right back to another movie. On the flip side, if half the movies are flopping because of bootlegging, there will be less movies, and less spectacular movies.

When you step out from behind the rhetoric you see that the entertainment industry is just like any other industry, and taking things you don't pay for is stealing, whether it's an album or a loaf of bread. That said, I'm not some stodgy old codger. If someone gives me a burned CD that they say I just have to hear, I'll take it. It is art, so there should be some amount of sharing/freedom involved. Often, if I like the CD, I will buy other stuff from that artist, or see them at a live show. All I'm saying is that pirating ALL of your movies and music is shortchanging the artists you love, and ultimately selfish.