Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials in a matter that violates one of the owner’s exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works based upon it. The slang term bootleg (derived from the use of a boot for the purposes of smuggling) is often used to describe illicitly copied materials.
For electronic and audio-visual media, unauthorized reproduction and distribution is often referred to as piracy or theft. Critics of the use of the term “piracy” to describe such practices contend that it unfairly compares a crime that makes no victim – except for those who would have profited from hypothetically lost sales – with the violent actions of organized thieves and murderers. It also confuses mere illegal copying of material with the intentional and malicious penetration of computers systems to which one does not legally have access to. As a consequence, “piracy” is a somewhat loaded term.
The unlawful downloading and sharing of recorded music in the form of MP3 and other small, audio files is still a very popular practice, even after the demise of Napster and a series of infringement suits brought by the American recording industry against music-sharing individuals. On the other hand, sharing copied music is legal in many countries, such as Canada, and some parts of Europe, provided that this information is neither advertised, nor that the songs are sold.
In general, there are a number of rationales used by pirates to justify their actions.
For one, piracy is sometimes claimed as a form of boycott. An example of which is the selective piracy of music published by major record labels that can be used to protest the low percentage of total record sales that is paid back to artists.
Then, there’s the “try before you buy mentality”. If a downloaded album, movie or piece of software is deemed useful, the person will then buy it, otherwise it is deleted.
Conversely, some choose to download only those products which they would otherwise be unable to afford; reasoning that in so doing they do not damage any company’s profits. However, it bears consideration that the individual may have otherwise purchased a less expensive version instead.
Many legitimate products are also unavailable in some parts of the world, as they are often too expensive for most of the local populace to afford. In much of the third world, even people who could normally afford to buy legitimate products can’t do so, thus they have to resort to piracy just to get a copies of these.
A.C. Mendoza, Jr
For electronic and audio-visual media, unauthorized reproduction and distribution is often referred to as piracy or theft. Critics of the use of the term “piracy” to describe such practices contend that it unfairly compares a crime that makes no victim – except for those who would have profited from hypothetically lost sales – with the violent actions of organized thieves and murderers. It also confuses mere illegal copying of material with the intentional and malicious penetration of computers systems to which one does not legally have access to. As a consequence, “piracy” is a somewhat loaded term.
The unlawful downloading and sharing of recorded music in the form of MP3 and other small, audio files is still a very popular practice, even after the demise of Napster and a series of infringement suits brought by the American recording industry against music-sharing individuals. On the other hand, sharing copied music is legal in many countries, such as Canada, and some parts of Europe, provided that this information is neither advertised, nor that the songs are sold.
In general, there are a number of rationales used by pirates to justify their actions.
For one, piracy is sometimes claimed as a form of boycott. An example of which is the selective piracy of music published by major record labels that can be used to protest the low percentage of total record sales that is paid back to artists.
Then, there’s the “try before you buy mentality”. If a downloaded album, movie or piece of software is deemed useful, the person will then buy it, otherwise it is deleted.
Conversely, some choose to download only those products which they would otherwise be unable to afford; reasoning that in so doing they do not damage any company’s profits. However, it bears consideration that the individual may have otherwise purchased a less expensive version instead.
Many legitimate products are also unavailable in some parts of the world, as they are often too expensive for most of the local populace to afford. In much of the third world, even people who could normally afford to buy legitimate products can’t do so, thus they have to resort to piracy just to get a copies of these.
A.C. Mendoza, Jr
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