Academy screener bootlegger arrested

[next]

You make no point. Of course if there's a law that says
I can't stand on my head in public , I should expect to get busted
for doing it.
And for being Jewish in 1940
and for being a witch in 17xx
and for ... whatever
I KNOW there's a law against it , I claim it's unreasonable
and I will break it . I have the same respect for the law
as a I do for the pope.

Ouch....

[next]

"Stealing movies is tantamount to taking money out of the pockets of everyone involved with the film industry,"

A bit hypocritical since the film industry has been taking money out of OUR pockets for decades.

You at least have a choice.

[Roundabout]

I hardly think satellite transmission signals constitute a "failed business model." And since when does a "failed business model" give anyone the right to steal? "Yes, officer, they were charging way too much for TVs, no one was buying any, so since it was a failed business model I decided to help myself to one." Sorry, real life doesn't work that way.

It was a failed business model - read my post: the signal was sent over UHF CHANNEL 52...it was NOT a satellite signal. It was being sent over PUBLIC airwaves - they do not own the airwaves, they are licensed to use the airwaves. If they have the right to transmit the signal into my land and into my body, then I have a right to do whatever I want with it. They didn't ask my permission to send the signal into my privately owned space, did they? Then I'll be damned if I'll ask them before I do whatever I want with it when it penetrates into my space.
So I suppose this made it OK for them to pass laws for their convenience, outlawing a commonly used transistor? If they'd had their way, just by dint of passing this law, YOU would be breaking the law to go into Radio Shack to buy this very same replacement transistor to fix your broken TV. So is that OK by you too?

You see, this can be looked at from both sides. There are many laws passed with unintended consequences, as I'm sure you well know. This was just one more ill-informed law that made no sense whatsoever, but yet it passed anyway. The same can be said of a lot of laws - the "golden rule" - he who has the gold makes the rules.

That's false logic, and just because you say so doesn't make it so. The law says it's illegal. You cannot justify an illegal action just because you are not physically trespassing onto their physical property in order to steal.

The law says a lot of things are illegal. So was oral/anal sex, and still is, in a lot of states/counties. So I assume you'll turn yourself in, the next time you decide to engage in such conduct? ( Not saying you do this, you understand my point, I think ). The difference here, you are using the trademark example - if you copied the trademark and it was never seen outside your home, would anyone ever know or care? But if you try to market it, sell it, then you have left the private space of your own home to make a profit. Quite a difference. Apples and Oranges, I think. Same with your Rolex example - the watch was on his land, store, whatever - not in my home. If he left it on my front porch, then damn straight, it's mine. If I come to his store and he turns his back and I take it, there's a BIG difference. The watch is not on/in my space or land.

Now as to whether it's right or wrong to incercept satellite signals, you can debate the morality of it all day. I'll agree, the industry was able to lobby enough senators/congressmen to get laws passed in their favor ( the golden rule at work again ), but it doesn't mean something is morally
wrong just because you or some corporation says so - any more than it makes it right because I said so. Each person has to decide what is right or wrong for themselves. If it wasn't for that free will, we'd still have blacks sitting in the backs of buses.

[next]

I hardly think satellite transmission signals constitute a "failed business model." And since when does a "failed business model" give anyone the right to steal? "Yes, officer, they were charging way too much for TVs, no one was buying any, so since it was a failed business model I decided to help myself to one." Sorry, real life doesn't work that way.

It was a failed business model - read my post: the signal was sent over UHF CHANNEL 52...it was NOT a satellite signal. It was being sent over PUBLIC airwaves - they do not own the airwaves, they are licensed to use the airwaves. If they have the right to transmit the signal into my land and into my body, then I have a right to do whatever I want with it. They didn't ask my permission to send the signal into my privately owned space, did they? Then I'll be damned if I'll ask them before I do whatever I want with it when it penetrates into my space.
So I suppose this made it OK for them to pass laws for their convenience, outlawing a commonly used transistor? If they'd had their way, just by dint of passing this law, YOU would be breaking the law to go into Radio Shack to buy this very same replacement transistor to fix your broken TV. So is that OK by you too?

You see, this can be looked at from both sides. There are many laws passed with unintended consequences, as I'm sure you well know. This was just one more ill-informed law that made no sense whatsoever, but yet it passed anyway. The same can be said of a lot of laws - the "golden rule" - he who has the gold makes the rules.

That's false logic, and just because you say so doesn't make it so. The law says it's illegal. You cannot justify an illegal action just because you are not physically trespassing onto their physical property in order to steal.

The law says a lot of things are illegal. So was oral/anal sex, and still is, in a lot of states/counties. So I assume you'll turn yourself in, the next time you decide to engage in such conduct? ( Not saying you do this, you understand my point, I think ). The difference here, you are using the trademark example - if you copied the trademark and it was never seen outside your home, would anyone ever know or care? But if you try to market it, sell it, then you have left the private space of your own home to make a profit. Quite a difference. Apples and Oranges, I think. Same with your Rolex example - the watch was on his land, store, whatever - not in my home. If he left it on my front porch, then damn straight, it's mine. If I come to his store and he turns his back and I take it, there's a BIG difference. The watch is not on/in my space or land.

Now as to whether it's right or wrong to incercept satellite signals, you can debate the morality of it all day. I'll agree, the industry was able to lobby enough senators/congressmen to get laws passed in their favor ( the golden rule at work again ), but it doesn't mean something is morally
wrong just because you or some corporation says so - any more than it makes it right because I said so. Each person has to decide what is right or wrong for themselves. If it wasn't for that free will, we'd still have blacks sitting in the backs of buses.

If the corporations stopped producing what would be left to steal? Wedding videos?

[Roundabout]

If the corporations stopped producing what would be left to steal? Wedding videos?

Somehow I think the world would go on without 99% of the dreck that is churned out these days from Hollywood. Certainly it's not a matter of life or death if "the corporations" stopped producing them. I think they would survive. I think we would survive, too. :P

[FOO]

Yes , but there would be several people who could no longer
have an income of 1000 times that of hard working professional
people who actually do something useful.

[next]

If the corporations stopped producing what would be left to steal? Wedding videos?

Somehow I think the world would go on without 99% of the dreck that is churned out these days from Hollywood. Certainly it's not a matter of life or death if "the corporations" stopped producing them. I think they would survive. I think we would survive, too. :P

Then bring on the wedding videos. So much for dreck.

[c_hernandez32]

I can't believe that FBI would even waste their time with this. Its very true that it is "stealing," but come on our taxes are being used to stop piracy to put money in the hands of some rich fat executive at Sony and Warner Bros.? I've seen a few downloaded movies, and they look like crap, I always buy the commercial DVD for the dts audio and extra features. We have so much real crime in our nation and the FBI goes after people who are stealing movies that are probably not even worth the silicon they were pressed from.

[next]

I can't believe that FBI would even waste their time with this. Its very true that it is "stealing," but come on our taxes are being used to stop piracy to put money in the hands of some rich fat executive at Sony and Warner Bros.? I've seen a few downloaded movies, and they look like crap, I always buy the commercial DVD for the dts audio and extra features. We have so much real crime in our nation and the FBI goes after people who are stealing movies that are probably not even worth the silicon they were pressed from.

Moderators....pay attention.

[c_hernandez32]

Yah the movie industry has placed their own secret spies within dvdrhelp forums. I think Baldrick has been replaced with a machine that monitors all conversions. If the words movies, Kazaa, and download appear in the same thread, robo-Baldrick tracks you down and sends the FBI, army, and S.W.A.T. team to your house. So be careful. I think tgpo will be next to be replaced with a machine. JK!

[next]

Yah the movie industry has placed their own secret spies within dvdrhelp forums. I think Baldrick has been replaced with a machine that monitors all conversions. If the words movies, Kazaa, and download appear in the same thread, robo-Baldrick tracks you down and sends the FBI, army, and S.W.A.T. team to your house. So be careful. I think tgpo will be next to be replaced with a machine. JK!

No problem. Just make sure you are only backing up your own purchases. Anything thing else may be considered a pirate experience.

[pacmania_2001]

Its totally untrue about moderators being MPAA/RIAA controlled.

Take me for example, I work for Flowers By Irene.

[lordsmurf]

Rich people are crooks. Doctors, lawyers, corporate copyright "owners". Tax dollars should be spent on thing that a MAJORITY of THE PEOPLE want, not the 2/3rd vote of a bunch of dipshits that got voted in from fanagling the voter areas. I want my tax dollars spent preventing doctors from stealing $200 away from my parents for a 5-minute discussion at a "office visit" and then tax spent on getting better medicare coverage for them.

(EDIT: Removed words. Too long, not worth reading.)

[haloblack]

Ok um, whoever posted this article. Where did you get it from?

CNN online

Im reading it in 2 other places and no where does it say they were sold.

From the original article:

booked Thursday night in connection with pirated films being sold on the Internet -- in some cases, prior to their theatrical or DVD releases.

[DaBarrister]

I hardly think satellite transmission signals constitute a "failed business model." And since when does a "failed business model" give anyone the right to steal? "Yes, officer, they were charging way too much for TVs, no one was buying any, so since it was a failed business model I decided to help myself to one." Sorry, real life doesn't work that way.

It was a failed business model - read my post: the signal was sent over UHF CHANNEL 52...it was NOT a satellite signal.

The reference was to the subject of this post, not to this UHF guy. I could not care less about your example as it has NOTHING to do with the topic.

So I suppose this made it OK for them to pass laws for their convenience, outlawing a commonly used transistor? If they'd had their way, just by dint of passing this law, YOU would be breaking the law to go into Radio Shack to buy this very same replacement transistor to fix your broken TV. So is that OK by you too?

What are you, 13? 14? Stick to the topic.

You see, this can be looked at from both sides. There are many laws passed with unintended consequences, as I'm sure you well know. This was just one more ill-informed law that made no sense whatsoever, but yet it passed anyway. The same can be said of a lot of laws - the "golden rule" - he who has the gold makes the rules.

Just because you disagree with the law does not give you the right to steal. You don't like the law, then change it. So I guess you have the right to intercept encoded signals from the feddle gubment, too? Would you like to share that opinion with the CIA?

The law says a lot of things are illegal. So was oral/anal sex, and still is, in a lot of states/counties. So I assume you'll turn yourself in, the next time you decide to engage in such conduct? ( Not saying you do this, you understand my point, I think ). The difference here, you are using the trademark example - if you copied the trademark and it was never seen outside your home, would anyone ever know or care? But if you try to market it, sell it, then you have left the private space of your own home to make a profit. Quite a difference. Apples and Oranges, I think. Same with your Rolex example - the watch was on his land, store, whatever - not in my home. If he left it on my front porch, then damn straight, it's mine. If I come to his store and he turns his back and I take it, there's a BIG difference. The watch is not on/in my space or land.

Wrong. You break the law when you infringe the mark. Don't confuse breaking the law with whether you'll get caught.

Now as to whether it's right or wrong to incercept satellite signals, you can debate the morality of it all day. I'll agree, the industry was able to lobby enough senators/congressmen to get laws passed in their favor ( the golden rule at work again ), but it doesn't mean something is morally
wrong just because you or some corporation says so - any more than it makes it right because I said so. Each person has to decide what is right or wrong for themselves. If it wasn't for that free will, we'd still have blacks sitting in the backs of buses.

Do you own that signal? It was produced by someone, at great cost, to fulfill a need that people are willing to pay for. Under your cockeyed theory, if a motorist were to lose control and drive onto your lawn, you then own the car. If you want to steal satellite signals, go right ahead. Just don't come here claiming that you are morally superior than those who respect the law.

I have the same respect for the law as a I do for the pope.

Why does that not surprise me?

Yes , but there would be several people who could no longer have an income of 1000 times that of hard working professional
people who actually do something useful.

And what, pray tell, does the mighty Foo do for a living? For every Tom Cruise there are thousands of people - thousands - who are making a wage by working on movies. You steal one of Cruise's movies, and the people you're hurting are the ordinary folks eeking out a living in Hollywood. Gaffers. Light operators. Camera operators. Gofers. Take a look at the credits at the end of the LOTR and see the thousands of people who worked on those films. You think you're getting back at Da Man. How wrong you are.

Rich people are crooks.
Doctors, lawyers, corporate copyright "owners".

Tax dollars should be spent on thing that a MAJORITY of THE PEOPLE want, not the 2/3rd vote of a bunch of dipshits that got voted in from fanagling the voter areas. Republicans just fucked Texas up with such things.

Translation: spend everyone else's taxes on what Lord Smurf thinks is important, like subsidizing video piracy. Nice. Moderator, please take note.

All so some rich ******* doctor can take a Bahamas trip, play golf, and live in a big house and fancy car that makes up for his small penis.

Somebody's envious.... Hey, if you don't like it, then study reeeeaaaaallll hard, go to school for 20 years total (12+4+4) and become an a-hole doctor yourself, with or without a small johnson.

Not like he's hurting anybody. Remember, bootlegs exist because other options are too expensive (buyers too poor, as in Asia) or do not exist.

You go, boy. Stand up for the poor. Change your name to Lord Robin Hood and feed those poor people their daily dose of The Incredible Hulk. Of course, with your high-speed internet connection and your incredible access to all the latest movies, I doubt you're a poor Asian boy, so none of what you just said would justify your actions anyway.

Foo, Roundabout and lordsmurf, go right ahead and justify all you want, but you can't get around the fact that unauthorized taking of satellite signals is theft, pure and simple.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEN CHANGE THE LAW.

[lordsmurf]

Well, while you sniff the lawmakers cornholes, I'll be standing up for my beliefs. This IS how people change the law. In public discussions.

(EDIT: Removed words. Too long, off topic, not worth reading.)

[DaBarrister]

Well, while you sniff the lawmakers cornholes, I'll be standing up for my beliefs.

This IS how people change the law. In public discussions.

And FYI, doctors are just biological weathermen, guessing at everything, and most have less than 6 years of school. So next time you go to the doctor, just think about that when he pokes you with things and fills you full of unstable drugs. Would you pay the weatherman $100 an hour? Hell no. Why should the doctor be any different?

Public discussion is a good thing. But people who have something important to say - and the intelligence to say it - don't have to resort to profanity and assinine examples to make a point.

6 years of schooling? What HMO do you use?

And when you get a 90% occlusion in three arteries and need triple bypass surgery, give good ol' Al Roker a call. I'm sure he can hook ya up. How all that justifies the theft of satellite signals, I don't know. But there it is.

[DaBarrister]

By the way, I'm not out to bash lordsmurf or anyone else on this forum. I think lordsmurf has a very nice and helpful site, for what it's worth.

But it was interesting to see this on his site:
"Each guide on the lordsmurf.com domain was written by myself, LordSmurf. Guides may not be copied or reproduced in part or as a whole."

[pacmania_2001]

Rich people are crooks.
Doctors, lawyers, corporate copyright "owners".

It's the capitalist system that rewards them for the effort they put in. I, in no way support the huge salaries that people like actors make but it's the average joe on the street that is making their salaries possible. Everytime some woman at the checkout buys a celebrity magazine or some B grade movie makes $100 million because it had a big name star in it only goes to further fueling and justifying these salaries.

I have no problem with a Doctor or Lawyer making a large salary. They've slaved away at their education and are providing a service that is in demand so they can charge that much. I'm much happier with a Brain Surgeon making a million dollars a year and everyday going to work and saving lifes then some Hollywood actor getting $20 million to star in some movie that will flop at the box office and is just the same tired formula and story once again repeated.

Tax dollars should be spent on thing that a MAJORITY of THE PEOPLE want, not the 2/3rd vote of a bunch of dipshits that got voted in from fanagling the voter areas. Republicans just fucked Texas up with such things.

As much as I disagree with DaBarrister on some of his points he is correct in saying that if you aren't happy with the laws or the system then change it. It is a democratically elected government and if you can show them that they will stand to gain from supporting your viewpoint then they will.

I laugh (and this is not directed at you specifically LordSmurf) when people complain about the rorts that government get away with but when it comes around time to voting they either don't (in the case of non compulsory voting) or they don't properly do research (in the case of compulsory voting) and end up with a schmuck in power.

I want my tax dollars spent preventing doctors from stealing $200 away from my parents for a 5-minute discussion at a "office visit" and then tax spent on getting better medicare coverage for them so they don't spend all their retirement money faster than they can get it withdrawn. All so some rich ******* doctor can take a Bahamas trip, play golf, and live in a big house and fancy car that makes up for his small penis.

Again, that is a problem with the system, not the individual doctor. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

The bootlegger was smart. Saved a few bucks.

Exactly, economics principle in play. People aren't prepared to pay what the companies are pricing their product at so substitute products arise (in this case bootlegs). The movie and recording companies business model is becoming flawed as technology is advancing and they don't realise this (or choose to ignore it). Instead of fighting the technology they should be embracing it and using it to their advantage.

I hardly think satellite transmission signals constitute a "failed business model." And since when does a "failed business model" give anyone the right to steal? "Yes, officer, they were charging way too much for TVs, no one was buying any, so since it was a failed business model I decided to help myself to one." Sorry, real life doesn't work that way.

Like above, some people aren't prepared to accept the pricing put forward by the satellite company so an alternate (albeit illegal) market opens itself up.

Don't confuse breaking the law with whether you'll get caught.

Isn't the basis (or part) of a good law though the ability to which it can be enforced and the cost effectiveness in doing so? If the FBI's time and resources can be better spent on a more worthy cause i.e. terrorism then they shouldn't be fighting piracy on such a level. Whether or not this is the case in this situation is a call I am not going to make because I don't know all the details. For all I know the MPAA could have privately investigated the matter then handed the case over to the FBI virtually 'gift wrapped' for prosecution.

And what, pray tell, does the mighty Foo do for a living? For every Tom Cruise there are thousands of people - thousands - who are making a wage by working on movies. You steal one of Cruise's movies, and the people you're hurting are the ordinary folks eeking out a living in Hollywood. Gaffers. Light operators. Camera operators. Gofers. Take a look at the credits at the end of the LOTR and see the thousands of people who worked on those films. You think you're getting back at Da Man. How wrong you are.

Again you have to look at the economic principles that guide the economy. If these people were put out by piracy then they would move into alternate fields. Think of it like a set of scales, movie production would go down but the piracy industry would increase and the flow on effect of that would be increased hirings at places like ISPs, computer manufacturers, anti-piracy organisations, CD factories and so forth. It would take time for the displaced economy to stabilise but it always does.

And FYI, doctors are just biological weathermen, guessing at everything, and most have less than 6 years of school. So next time you go to the doctor, just think about that when he pokes you with things and fills you full of unstable drugs. Would you pay the weatherman $100 an hour? Hell no. Why should the doctor be any different?

I don't know whether you are exactly right in this statement. Medicine is hardly a guessing game, it is however continually evolving as a science. Look at Cancer, specifically Leukemia, in the 80's your survival rates were below 30%, with modern medicine that rate has risen to 80%+. And also I'll go back to supply/demand arguement, if a weatherman was in as much demand as a doctor is then yes, society would pay them $100 an hour, they're not, so they don't get paid that much.

For society to function properly we need these different reward levels based on supply and demand. If we didn't and doctors earned the same as a checkout operator what reason would a sufficient amount of people choose to become a doctor when they could drop out of school, have a very easy job and earn the same.

I personally think you have a very skewed view of the medicine profession in general. Have a look at most doctors, they don't leisurely stroll in for an hour or two from their golf game to check their patients, they are working 12 hour days, sometimes 6 or 7 days a week in very stressful conditions.

[spiderman2k1]

In one way I really do not care at all about piracy bootleg's and I'll give you my reason. One Holly Wood should be in the tech end of thing making there own technology. This way they could have made there own format and never release recorder's. Or they could have just own the patten on the technology and went to Sony JVC Panasonic to make the player's with this other format. Also making the disc just a tad bigger so it would not fit in a DVD or CD drive or some other kind of PC drive. The Holly Wood companies like to fight the pirate's but do not work together to come up with any idea's to stop it. All they had to do was make the disc half a inch longer and the only way to get a copy would be some kind of analog. It's there own dam falt there to late to the punch.

It work's for Nintendo no one is playing copied Nintendo game's Ps2 and X-box both hacked. Ps2 use's CD's and DVD's for there game's. X-Box use's DVD. Nintendo made those small disc little bigger then the mini CDR's and mini DVD-R's so they wont fit in a PC drive to be copied.

[DaBarrister]

Isn't the basis (or part) of a good law though the ability to which it can be enforced and the cost effectiveness in doing so? If the FBI's time and resources can be better spent on a more worthy cause i.e. terrorism then they shouldn't be fighting piracy on such a level.

No. The devil, as they say, is in the details. It is an unfortunate reality that some of the most heinous crimes are some of the most difficult to police and will therefore consume the most resources. If we judged laws on the ease with which they can be enforced, then most laws - including laws designed to detect and prevent terrorism - would fail by that standard.

For example, child sexual abuse, because it almost always occurs behind closed doors and usually involves a single wary perp and an easily-manipulated child, has to be among the most difficult crimes to detect and prosecute; yet no one would deny that the laws against such crimes are absolutely necessary and good by any standard.

There will always be some give and take on the issue of law enforcement resources. Currently, there is little in the way of resources directed at preventing and detecting piracy, which is precisely why a) so many people do get away with it, and b) the RIAA and others are using tort laws to go after pirates (since the gubment won't do it).

If not for copyright laws, no one would invest millions to make the movies and other products for our entertainment because anyone could steal it as soon as it was made. Therefore, copyright laws preserve and enforce the property and intellectual rights of many people, and we all benefit from the enforcement of such laws.

[pacmania_2001]

Ah yes, good point but that is where the cost effectiveness part of my statement comes into play.

Using your example of child abuse, society as a whole greatly values the sanctity of our children therefore we are prepared to spend more money in the controls to stop it. Same with terrorism, we value our freedom and lifes a significant amount, therefore the controls we have in place match that.

In this situation, like I said in my previous posts I don't know the full details but I would say that the FBI would have been handed this case 'gift-wrapped' by the MPAA therefore only a small amount of the FBI's resources would have been needed and that is fine with me.

It's when a larger amount of the resources of these government agencies are turned towards a small problem (in the bigger picture) like piracy that I see a problem.

[pacmania_2001]

It work's for Nintendo no one is playing copied Nintendo game's Ps2 and X-box both hacked. Ps2 use's CD's and DVD's for there game's. X-Box use's DVD. Nintendo made those small disc little bigger then the mini CDR's and mini DVD-R's so they wont fit in a PC drive to be copied.

The problem with that though is if the PS2 and X-Box did go the path of Nintendo and use smaller discs then hackers/pirates would focus their attention on coming up with a work around.

If you look at Nintendo Game Cube it's core market is young kids, not teenagers and young adults like the PS2 and X-Box target. It's market share in comparison to the other two is minor as well, its these two factors that have played a big part in the Game Cubes lack of piracy.

Think of it like virus writers/crackers and the operating systems. Microsoft Windows holds a 90% market share on desktops compared to the other OS's like Linux and Apple. Its for this reason that its such a target, because the impact from a virus is going to much larger than if it was written to affect say the Apple OS.

[Thorn]

Moral questions aside, why do people think it's a bad thing to bust people who are *selling* pirated movies? Are you retarded? The people selling pirated movies are a BIG part of what's got the mpaa's panties in a bunch. If there were no screeners and camcorder copies, the mpaa would be on much shakier ground for restricting us with DRM.

But no. A bunch of idiots want to excercise their "right" to steal all forms of media and and now we will all have to pay with drm restrictions.

If you recall, media piracy went on for years underground and no one really cared. As soon as it became pop culture and common knowledge that you could get prereleases on the internet, big industry took notice.

The MPAA and RIAA aren't the only idiots who are causing us all to pay.

[pacmania_2001]

I don't think its a bad thing that people are getting busted.

It was inevitable though that piracy would boom as technology became more common place. I think you are overplaying the link between piracy and the DRM restrictions however, they are more related to the fact of traditional companies trying to use traditional business practices in a new playing field.

The RIAA (and MPAA) also has itself to blame for the explosion of piracy due to its years of over pricing and giving services like Napster publicity.

[Roundabout]

To the almighty dabarrister, I made my statement and I do not resort to calling you a juvenile regardless of whether I agree with you or not. You have no cogent response to my statements regarding ridiculous laws and the reasons why they are ignored, therefore my point is proven.

I am not here to argue and hurl insults all day, I happen to disagree with you on a number of points and insulting each other will lead nowhere, therefore this post is my last word on the subject.

Posting comments such as "moderators take note" that you seem to think will silence public discussion on these matters smack of censorship, therefore I choose not to respond further to your comments. The mods will do just fine without your prompting, if they feel there is a need to do so.

For the record, I do not even own a DVD recorder or a satellite dish. I have more than enough to watch without spending my time copying DVD's or trying to hack satellite signals. My point was, and is, that as long as these technologies exist, there will be people that can, and will, use them for whatever purpose they see fit, regardless of whatever laws are passed - fact.

Have a nice day.

[Supreme2k]

Substituting your own jargon for the truth doesn't make it so.

That's false logic, and just because you say so doesn't make it so. The law says it's illegal. You cannot justify an illegal action just because you are not physically trespassing onto their physical property in order to steal. How about trademark law? I don't need to walk onto Coca-Cola's property to infringe their trademark. If I copy it, even crudely with a big red crayon, and I use it in anything else, I've infringed upon the trademark. Case closed.

You seem to get the principles of the laws, but then you come up with these gems:

I hardly think satellite transmission signals constitute a "failed business model." And since when does a "failed business model" give anyone the right to steal? "Yes, officer, they were charging way too much for TVs, no one was buying any, so since it was a failed business model I decided to help myself to one." Sorry, real life doesn't work that way.

No, charges were brought against him for knowingly and intentionally circumventing a copy protection scheme. Whether they could prove it in his case is beside the point. So your test of legality is that if they didn't make it too difficult to steal, you are therefore justified in stealing it? "That's right officer. He turned his back and I took the Rolex. Not my fault he didn't protect it better! That's not stealing." Hmm mmm. Right.

My biggest gripe with these arguments is your basic "apples and oranges". You need to start calling it Copyright Infringement, Tampering (with an electronic device), or whatever the law allows it to be called.

Too many of you on your soapboxes use the "theft" angle. Here's the truth (not opinion): COPYING A DVD/CD/TAPE OR RECEIVEING BROADCAST SIGNALS IS NOT PHYSICAL THEFT.

Example: Someone stands in front of me with a jar. I cough. They capture the air that was in my lungs. That by no means equates to the person taking a knife to me and harvesting my lungs

When you copy something and the original has in no way, shape or form been changed, nor has the original product been transferred(the original physical object, not data), it is copyright infringement, not theft. saying otherwise is a crude attempt at turning it into an emotional issue, rather than a strictly technical/monetary issue.

I think that the guy in the article is a criminal, just as the guy who makes unlicensed Mickey Mouse shirts to sell at the flea market (swap meet, east coasters), but neither of them are thieves.

[LanEvo7]

It work's for Nintendo no one is playing copied Nintendo game's Ps2 and X-box both hacked. Ps2 use's CD's and DVD's for there game's. X-Box use's DVD. Nintendo made those small disc little bigger then the mini CDR's and mini DVD-R's so they wont fit in a PC drive to be copied.

There are people playing copied Gamecube games. Yes, there is a mod out for it and it does work. There just isn't a big enough market for it, so its not really popular. Also for Nintendo's verison of the Gamecube you have to replace the casing because the games are copied on to full size DVDs.

[spiderman2k1]

"pacmania_2001" Nintendo copy protection has nothing to do with kid buyer's. Even if some one hack the GameCube it so much work to back it up most people will not do it. I have friend's that go to MIT and they did say you might be able to load the game on the PC then when you want to play it feed the game from the PC to the gamecube. There are not alot of people that even if they know how to do it will do it. PS2 modchip X-box modchip. You can copy a Ps2 game with Nero. X-Box you have to network your PC to the X-box just to back it up and can save the hole game to the hard drive if you want. But if these companies made there game disc half a inch longer then CD's or DVD's you could not use a PC to back them up. Nintendo saw this make the disc little long so it will not fit in the PC CD DVD drive. Now is sony made there PS2 game disc half a inch longer. Alot more people would buy there game's.

How many people have burned Laser Disc and amde a 1:1 copy no one.

[pacmania_2001]

It has alot to do with it's target market of kids.

Young kids don't go to the same lengths nor have the knowledge or means to copy games like their teenage and young adult counterparts.