Whineblog #3 Piracy... and stuff

The other day I was talking with a dear friend of mine when piracy and copyright came into our discussion. See, a while back sometime, last year or so I had bought a DVD with my own money of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest and planned sending it to her in a package, along with some sweets as a gift. I had been talking a lot about this contest and so she became rather intriguied because of it!

Anyway, I sent the package and a few days later got a rather cheery reply that she really enjoyed what I sent her, but something didn't work. The DVD. It said the DVD didn't work because it was being used in an "unauthorized area".
As probably everyone knows by know, certain material like music CD's or DVD's brought from outside of your own country may not work because of the strict laws of copyright and the fear of the source material being sent around, in other words, being pirated.

Now, I believe that artists and companies deserve getting money earned for what they publish and have put their effort into, but today, thanks to both parties, record companies and such have resorted to a tight fist around distrubution. I shouldn't only put mention to the music industry only, but books also. The whole media circle, pretty much. So now, the joy of experiencing and sharing is totally lost, I think, and so does my friend. She began talking about how difficult it is, when it doesn't have to be.

C: We actually had a big discussion about sort of this issue on the nook boards.

Swede: And what did you discuss?

C: How the publishers of books, but also distributors of other media, are still very behind the times when it comes to technology. The nook initially has been only available in the US. Other people outside the US have gotten them, though. If you're outside the States or Canada, it's very hard to download books, however. One guy is in Stockholm for work right now, and even though he has a US credit card, address, and IP address, he still has to work around the bans on not being able to buy ebooks where he is. It's outdated that they release books, movies and music at different times around the world. It seems much more efficient and fair to release them everywhere at the same time. It would eliminate a lot of piracy anyway.
Give everyone the opportunity to buy things for the same price at the same time and let them simply decide if they want to pay for it or not.

Swede: I'm not saying that anyone should start seeding stuff they want without paying, but I agree that if they just released stuff at the same time, or as closely as possible to first release dates, then there would be less piracy.

C: And it's all about publishers and producers having a stranglehold on the business. Realistically, if I buy a book and read it, and then share it with friends and family, that's not a crime.


I think personally that the business is greedy, and a lot of people agree. I mean, at a lot of times they don't even have to spend a lot of money in order to make a whole bunch of money in return! My friend here, who owns one of these nooks, can loan out a book to someone else for 14 days, ONCE. And then the reading code will be invalid, and she can never loan it out again. It costs them next to nothing to publish an E book and they charge for a usage that is terribly limited.

Maybe one day, when they start to realize that consumers aren't willing to pay what they're asking, they'll finally rethink things, and perhaps the piracy rate will drop by... a gazilion, or something!

The only thing I can think about now though, is that DVD I sent her. It feels like it goes into personal matters. Like it's THEM stealing MY money when stuff like this happens.

Blue Cheese (or How I Learned To Rhyme) #1

Beware - This is really, really silly.


If you're dripping of sweat, if you're feeling upset
Grab a box of Bawl Wipers, and you'll be all set!
If they stick to your thigh, if you're time is nigh
Use our crappy tissues, we made them, we were high!

It happens to all of us, it's not really that serious
But Bawl Wipers work, we are so not delirious
It happens for men, we might be unlucky then
To inherit inconvenience, a pain in the "den"

Nevertheless...

Bawl Wipers; Keeps your nuts refreshed and cool
(PS, don't use them out public, you'll look like a fool)