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Videogame Pirate Gets Long Jail Sentence
Thanks to the San Jose Business Journal for its article discussing the sentencing of a notable videogame pirate to 50 months in prison after being found guilty on charges of "copyright infringement and... mail fraud." According to the piece: "[Sean Michael] Breen... admitted that he was a leader in the Internet-based piracy group known as Razor1911. Since the early 1990s, Razor1911 had sought to achieve a reputation in the underground Internet piracy community... as the leading distributor of cracked computer and console game software." A report at GameSpot has further details, noting Razor1911 "...acquired advance copies of [videogame] titles by posing as reviewers for fictitious game magazines and having them shipped to a derelict storefront address in Oakland."
I know I'm running a flame risk here, but I for one applaud this arrest. It's people like this that enable companies to rationalize(in lawyers terms anyway) DRM rights systems, which annoy the living crap out of people who actually pay for these things and like to support developers/artists/whatever
Now the fact that he got caught showed just how dumb he was. Trying to steal hardware like that always leaves too many traces around, and if the company has the money, it will influence law enforcement to do the investigation. I dunno if this will start a "scared straight" program with warezers, or maybe they'll just keep to their little gated communities now. Hopefully a high-profile case of a really prolific pirates will ensure that game companies don't need to go the way of the RIAA, at least not anymore than they have.
I find it hard to justify jailtime for offences relating to videogames. Hefty fines, sure. Community service, why not. But jail should be reserved for people that are a physical threat to the community. How much more is this person going to cost society during those 50 months?
Well, if they don't like the program and it's costs, DON'T USE IT! Use (and contribute to) OSS instead. It's like people complaining that Adobe prices photoshop too high so they are forced to pirate it. Well, the Gimp is out there for free, and if you want a feature implemented, the Gimp is open source, you are free to add whatever features you want. Simple as that. You know, I don't want to plunk down $35k for an SUV because I don't think they are worth that much, but does that give me the right to go out and steal one? Of course not. We are lucky to have such a dedicated OSS community. On some projects, the quality might not be as high as you like, but YOU have the power to change that.
I hate how people seem to have this sense of entitlement to software. The software company doesn't exist for your benefit, as it shouldn't. Most of it's not essential to live and succeed, and the stuff that is(OS, internet browser, and Office program) all have both closed and open source versions. If you feel that the closed source version is what you want, then go out and buy a copy. If you don't want to pay that much for it, or you just don't plain want it, go with open source. Or create your own. Maybe if you were the one who created content you might be much less supportive of the pirate community.
Razor distrubuted far more games than apps. The two realms are totally different. I can't believe that OSS could ever possibly be a solution for commercial games.
I'd like to agree with the rest of the things you said, though. Except I can't. Because it would make me a terrible hypocrite.
First of all, your comparison to SUVs is like apples to Oranges. an SUV is a tangible physical good, software is entirely intellectual property. As well, I know this is probably the billionth time it's been said. Piracy is not theft, it is copyright infringement, there is a world of difference.
Secondly, most applications, such as the ones you mention, have more then enough business customers that every person who needed it for a hobby or curiosity pirated it, they'd barely see a difference in profits.
I also highly doubt OSS will ever fit the need for games anytime in the next 20 to 30 years, especially with the increased demands for higher and higher quality models/textures/other art stuff. You could be the best programmer in the world, have an engine and all the code finished, and not be able to make a good game merely because you lack good artists/modelers/etc willing to contribute to a "free" game.
Razor distrubuted far more games than apps. The two realms are totally different. I can't believe that OSS could ever possibly be a solution for commercial games.
What does it matter that Razor distributed games rather than apps? Both require developers to produce. If you do not like the fact that a game is $50+, don't play it until it hits the $20 rack, or $10 rack, or what ever level rack you feel it is worth. But also do not play the game until you have bought it. Otherwise the developers will not get the point that you think they charge too much for their games, they will see you as a pirate taking what they have spent time and effort writing so they can take a paycheck home at the end of the week.
Norris/Palin 2012
Fact: We deserve leaders who can kick your ass and field dress your carcass.