For example, former Napster users make up the largest consumer of legally purchased iTunes (Source ). "Pirates" are often the largest potential untapped market for an IP producer, provided they adapt to the times.
#MUST PLAY ABANDONWARE GAMES SOFTWARE#
If there had not been Software pirates, there would be no Steam or GOG, etc. If there had never been a Napster, there would likely not be an Itunes. If the law lags behind technological innovation (Which is always does), than the consumer has the OBLIGATION to close that gap. The law exists to serve man, not the other way around. Our world is not one where one's ethics are decided by IP law. If a consumer has made reasonable attempts to procure a copy (Important!) of a piece of media, and the producer has either made it prohibitively expensive as recognized by any rational person, or unavailable, than the consumer has every right to pirate a copy of said media. Consumers rights must ALWAYS trump producers rights, as that is the consideration that must be provided by producers to balance the capitalist equation. Similarly, if a game was prohibitively expensive in a global region due to shady regional pricing, ethically the consumer has every right to pirate said product. That consumer has every ethical right to pirate said songs, as they were both unwilling to purchase the physical item anyway (So no loss of revenue for the artist), and the artist isn't willing to put their product into all major markets. That customer doesn't even OWN a CD player, as he has gotten with the times. Let's say a person bought all tgheir music on iTunes, but the band AC/DC states that they won't add their songs on itunes because they want to preserve the physical album format. Cos we can."īrasas, the logic is that in this digital age, the consumer expects availability where it is a reasonable expectation. Very often completely corrupted by arbitrary lines in the sand like saying "It's on sale in second hand market, but the price is too high so let's share.
![must play abandonware games must play abandonware games](https://www.myabandonware.com/media/img/facebook/logo-v2.png)
GOG attitude of respect for the owners of copyright: kudos.Ībandonware: at most a grey area. They are a perfect example of short term thinking and good intentions leading one astray. Did society really benefit?īottom line for me: the great majority of justifications to overcome human rights (and property rights - including copyright - are rights of humans, not of rocks) actually carry long term disincentives.
#MUST PLAY ABANDONWARE GAMES CODE#
Where is the author's benefit in this scenario? I guess you can argue fame, but let's say I get so disgusted with the whole thing I never write a line of code ever again. More crucially, your position is that the distribution of this videogame is a moral right, due to some social benefit, regardless of author's (owner's) intent. but it would be much easier to enforce my right over the item I created if the digital angle did not exist. Sure hypothetically it could happen with a manuscript, or with a blueprint for a machine, etc. Some people call it a masterpiece and continue to distribute it even while I ask everyone to just destroy it.įirst, this scenario is only realistic in the digital era. But a "friend" of mine copies it and releases to the net. It s rarely said explicitly that regardless of our opinion on the current copyright system, the rise of digital media has shifted the balance of power (here comes the might again) away from the author.Īn extreme example to make my point: Let's say I create a videogame but decide not to publish because I think it's crap and am ashamed I ever created it. The individual's property rights (another form of human rights) should have primacy over society's entitlements. I could oppose any such socialization of goods/products/creations from a purely moral stand. The above quote is where the topic gets interesting for me. just had my first crash while posting in like 10 years. StingingVelvet: When copyright was first envisioned it was meant to last a limited amount of time so the author/artist would be rewarded, then the art would be owned by society.