#32995 - 12/17/09 09:34 AM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: Meq]
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DistroyA
member
Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 478
Loc: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK
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I have a large collection of "Abandonware", which are games (quite literally) past their "sell-by date".
Mostly old PC DOS games (I use DosBox and other virtual machines), but also Commodore Amiga (WinUAE is a solid emulator, the Unix edition E-UAE [the Egalitarian Ubiquitous Amiga Emulator, lol] is somewhat lacking though - though WinUAE runs well on Wine).
ScummVM is also good, although I do still have legal copies of every LucasArts SCUMM adventure game made (call me a nerd, lol).
Yes, most of these games look like piles of shit in 2009, but there are some little enhancements (such as the hq2x/hq3x/hq4x pixellation-busting graphical filters) which reduce the eyesore component well for many games.
Some old games have also had fan patches which add real 3D acceleration. Notably Doom 1 and 2, Quake (the original GLQuake fucked up the lighting), Frontier: Elite II (and its sequel First Encounters), and possibly many more.
Has anyone gotten into serious legal do-dos for online piracy?
I knew a guy at my university back in the day who got busted for downloading around 10,000 songs on Kazaa over the university's "ResNet" system.
The other students were shitting themselves.
You're not the only one with a lot of old games on their PC. I've got a shit-ton of Mega-Drive ROMS, a few SNES ROMS and various old games (Although many of them are quite legal, as I own the original cartridges/discs). Plus I've downloaded numerous mp3s illegally (Although I downloaded Killing in the Name by RATM as my first ever legal download the other day, but that was for a different reason entirely...), as well as videos.
I've never heard of anyone I know getting busted for downloading illegally. Hell, my cousin downloads via Torrents all the time when he's at home, and he hasn't been busted yet.
It really is too much of a widespread thing to police. I doubt anyone I know will get busted for it. But, we shall see...
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"A man chooses, a slave obeys." - Andrew Ryan of Ryan Industries (Bioshock)
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#33094 - 12/20/09 10:55 PM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: Dimitri]
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FdB
stranger
Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 24
Loc: Las Vegas, NV / Dallas, TX / K...
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I admit I frequently download illegal copies of music and movies. The reasons are that if I buy them most of my money isn't going to be spent on the artists self but on the second parties which only leech the artist.
Sorry to dispute this, but this is unfactual. While your statement is true for recording artists, it is not this way for cinematography.
When a movie is made there are many stringent contracts signed with various union groups. SAG, WGA, DGA etc etc. No matter if a film is made for theatrical release (goes to a theatre), made for profit (straight to DVD), commercial, tv, you name it. Residuals are paid to pretty much everyone involved. The residuals also include additional payments to actors retirement funds through the guild.
So when you download that ripped TV show instead of waiting for it to re-air or be broadcast legally on the web. You just participated in the erosion of the cast and crews salaries, most of which would have been paid by advertisements and broadcast fees. Steal the latest movie coming out. Doesn't matter that it cost us millions to make with a pretty steep interest rate attached to it. Hey the money isn't going to us anyways is it?
Don't ever say that people involved in movies don't get their royalties, we do and I depend on that money so I can do my next project.
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-FdB-
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#33104 - 12/21/09 02:34 AM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: FdB]
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Dimitri
veteran member
Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 1357
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Well, I never downloaded any television series.
And about the movies, I know that in most cinemas over here quite some royalties are put aside which aren't going to the actors themselves altough it "officially" is for them (neither for the cinema crew self).
I would buy a good movie, point is that there are almost none at the moment.
So when you download that ripped TV show instead of waiting for it to re-air or be broadcast legally on the web. You just participated in the erosion of the cast and crews salaries, most of which would have been paid by advertisements and broadcast fees.
Most actors have quite a big salary if I'm not mistaking. (At least the ones I tend to view, and I don't watch television that often). The advertisements are a pain in the ass when viewing a serie or film, so in fact I would be doing a good thing then since the amount of commercial break-ups is descending.
I never felt guilty about it anyway.
Edited by Dimitri (12/21/09 02:36 AM)
_________________________
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
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#33114 - 12/21/09 11:05 AM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: Dimitri]
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FdB
stranger
Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 24
Loc: Las Vegas, NV / Dallas, TX / K...
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The royalty system is complex and even more complex to explain. That is how lawyers get rich in this system and its required to have them or your drown fast.
When you go to a cinema, it is concession sales (popcorn, candy etc) that funds the theatre, not ticket sales. Some theatres get a small portion of ticket sales but it isn't very much. This is the reason they must keep 1/2 of the ticket stub. Its for auditors.
The money being paid in the theatre goes towards recouping the costs of making, distributing, duplication (expensive as hell) and marketing of the film. It also goes to pay off the financiers of the production as well, which is a hefty markup. After all these bills are paid then the money made after is called gross profits. It is from gross profits that everyone starts to get royalties. Things that can speed up the process is on merchandising. When a company like Burger King makes glasses with your movie characters or toys are made and sold in stores etc etc. By the time something goes to DVD you should be seeing gross profits.
As for actors. There are only a handful of actors that make big huge money called the A list. They are the top 1%. The average actor makes around $800 - $2K a week for a 6 week shoot depending on budget and release classification. It is the royalty system that brings the pay up to a larger dollar amount later after release. Royalties are forever, they don't expire.
So while some may say that Ms. A List Actor got paid a million dollars to be in the film so why should I care. Well because look at the credits and count the other people who were not Ms. A List Actor. They didn't get paid anywhere near that and are hoping the Ms. A List Actor pulls enough sales in that they too can get paid a living.
Also to note. Royalties do not go to the MPAA. The MPAA makes it's money by suing you lol. It also makes money when we pay to get a rating for our movie (PG, R etc) and other things.
I don't care much for commercials either, but it is interesting to note that the actors in them are getting residuals as well based on the number of times the commercial is played. No matter where you look on that screen, someone is making money off residuals and royalties. 
Now if you get caught stealing then the MPAA comes after you. This is out of the control of any studio. The money they collect, is theirs and we are still out. But its just the way it works. The machine has become to big to change or stop.
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-FdB-
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#33115 - 12/21/09 01:07 PM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: FdB]
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Dimitri
veteran member
Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 1357
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Also to note. Royalties do not go to the MPAA. The MPAA makes it's money by suing you lol. It also makes money when we pay to get a rating for our movie (PG, R etc) and other things.
Reminds me of a story which happened a few months ago...
I was playing for a quite "big" (50+ men) audience untill someone from Sabam ( Belgian equivalent of MPAA) came in and started complaining and demanding if we had payed the rights to play music. Being the cynical bastard I can be ( and at the moment performing artist) I politely asked why they should do so trough the microphone. He responded that "the artist will receive his fair amount of money trough them for the work done (ie, the making of the song)".
Funny part was that he actually responded it to me (the performer at the moment) who was playing his own songs and had the deal of being paid with free drinks during the performance.
It ended up he leaving with his head lowered in shame, and I (and organisators) never heard of him or Sabam concerning that night even if he made a complaint and note about it.
Now if you get caught stealing then the MPAA comes after you. This is out of the control of any studio. The money they collect, is theirs and we are still out. But its just the way it works.
Caught during the act is always possible, but there is always this twist you can give the situation. Most coverbands tend to have problems with covering songs when it comes to administration once becomming a bit more famous. A friend of mine gave the advice to cover a song but for not getting caught giving it a "personal twist". This way you are making it authentic again and the MPAA or Sabam or... can't start leeching money.
_________________________
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
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#38539 - 05/14/10 03:59 AM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: Dimitri]
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Gorehound
lurker
Registered: 04/27/10
Posts: 2
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I am sort of the "quintessential" pirate. I download everything. I have not bought a CD in years, and same with DVDs. I mod two boards specializing in uploaded movies, music, and games and also own a board. I rip porn sites, rip rare movies, etc. I have access to all the hidden sites around the internet. I'm always ready to help people to get whatever they want. I also know what to do to make sure you don't caught (never use torrents for brand new movies and music etc.) I, however, will go to the theater if something really cool comes out, like "My Bloody Valentine" in 3D. That was a great experience and totally worth the 9 bucks I spent on it.
The companies out there won't go after someone downloading an old movie most of the time, and that is a good thing because ALL movies ever produced are somewhere on the internet. The major companies are mostly worried about the new stuff in the theaters. Movies still make billions, such as "Avatar" so we really don't hurt them that bad. The people downloading will never pay for anything, anyway. Also, the people that get caught always use a service such as "Limwire" or the like that is easy to trace you. P2P is really a no-no if you are scared of getting caught. Direct Download is always the best way to go.
Edited by Gorehound (05/14/10 04:05 AM)
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#41226 - 08/01/10 03:56 PM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: ta2zz]
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SODOMIZER
pledge
Registered: 07/04/10
Posts: 61
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Firstly the usual problem with torrents is the fact that once you get enough of the torrent in or once it completes it begins to seed the file back out into the wild… I could be wrong but this is likely what got you as myself a warning from your ISP.
Encrypt your outgoing packets. You may still get a warning for traffic usage, but the content of what you're sharing should remain obscure.
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SC / O9A
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#41286 - 08/02/10 03:40 PM
Re: The Internet Pirate
[Re: Nemesis]
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SODOMIZER
pledge
Registered: 07/04/10
Posts: 61
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A quick note here: not all torrents are illegal.
Much of my use of torrents involves getting new open source distros like FreeBSD or various Linuxen, as that puts less of a strain on the (volunteer, not for profit) services that host them.
In addition, I've found a ton of public domain texts online, including two ONA archives.
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SC / O9A
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