Pirates Promise Improved Version of DaVinci Code

Y'arr, Matey writes "CD Freaks is reporting that pirates are not happy with the quality of the DaVinci Code. According to the article, "A sales assistant at one Shanghai DVD shop said the initial copies were 'pirated overseas' and that 'better quality' versions would probably be available early next month.""

Comments

News?

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't it normal that the first pirated copies aren't top quality? I'm not sure how this is news.

Why is this on /.

[PhrostyMcByte]

People cam/telesync/telecine the movie, and finally a dvd ripped version comes along later. This happens to every movie, why is this news. Even if this was unique to DaVinci Code, this doesn't belong on the front page of /.

Re:Why is this on /.

[Zemran]

Maybe you have not been reading /. for long or something but it certainly is not a pro-piracy haven. Disgust at the MPAA/RIAA activities does not in any way imply a pro-piracy stance, mearly a dislike of bully boy tactics. Most people here say that things should be more readily available and free to use as you like once you have bought but I have seldom seen a post that advocates piracy.

Re:Why is this on /.

[PhrostyMcByte]

I'll bite. I think most people agree copyright infringment is wrong and should be delt with somehow.

What they don't agree with is the *AA treating all their customers like criminals with (sometimes really nasty) copy protection that the real criminals know how to get past anyway.

Or the *AA creating ridiculous numbers and blaming all losses (even stuff thats not a real loss, like them missing their target growth) on copyright infringment, regardless of how crappy a product is.

Ot them using mafia tactics of "I don't have much proof and might not win in court, but I'll drown you in legal fees if you don't pay $3000 for something we think you did."

Re:Why is this on /.

[NutscrapeSucks]

Maybe you have not been reading /. for long or something but it certainly is not a pro-piracy haven

You are not reading very deeply into this. What goes on here is very much a justification-fest for Internet copyright infringmenet, where frail nerds tell each other that they aren't bad persons by voting the same opinions +5 Insightful over and over again.

Dislike of RIAA/MPAA tactics is only one small part of this, you can also claim that "information wants to be free", "their business model is obsolete", "people wouldn't pay for this stuff anyway", "their statistics lie", "infringement is not (as bad as) stealing!!!!!!", or really any argument that happens to fit the bill and you'll be lauded because you've provided moral cover for someone.

Admittedly, there is a small "free music" faction on slashdot trading their public-domain folksongs, but by in large the obsession with firesharing around here is very much because computer nerds love the downloading. (myself included)

If you have any doubt this is the predominate attitude, check the "DSL/Cable Hog" stories, Bittorrent site stories, or video game piracy stories -- same attitude over-and-over which is that "Piracy is great fun except for those meanies trying to stop us".

Re:Why is this on /.

[rob_squared]

Well to be fair, some gripes with copyright are valid, namely the duration of copyright laws. If the origonal rules of copyright were in place in the US, then you would be able to freely trade or resell all the star wars movies, all the origonal Star Trek episodes, and draw Mickey mouse in any cartoon you'd like without any legal issue.

For some perspective, the movie The Da Vinci Code will enter the public domain in 2081. By then, the US will have already celebrated its tricentennial. The last Apollo moon landing will have been 99 years ago, and I will be 98 years old.

That, I think, is a problem.

Re:I can't believe...

[paulius_g]

Agreed.

I don't know if the news source can be trusted. And how come a few words that this average salesman said suddenly become news?

Pirates won't stop pirating movies and their quality always increases. They'll try getting the actual film from the theatres and rip it. Or even yet, get an "internal agent" which would work closely with the movie to leak a copy. Ah, so many possibilities!

As for the movie itself, I still have to force myself to read the book before watching it.

Why is this here?

[Distinguished Hero]

The only way this story would be newsworthy would be if pirates saw the movie, were unhappy with what they saw, and decided to improve it by reshuffling the scenes around (sort of a Pirate's cut).

Re:Cmon people!

[aero2600-5]

Heh, The Pirate Bay has you covered...

Link

Aero

Re:Content

[kubrick]

Ever read Foucault's Pendulum?

Re:wonderful news!

[grammar fascist]

Even better, you were moderated "Offtopic" for... appreciating a joke! Excellent!

It looks like somebody didn't read the moderator guidelines.

You may now mod-bomb me, I am full of love.

Why the fuck?

[d_jedi]

Why the fuck is slashdot giving these scumsucking leeches who illegally profit off the hard work of others recognition?

This sort of shit really pisses me off.. why the fuck did China gain admittance into the WTO with this appalling shit going on? They're not even hiding the fact that this is going on..

Sorry for the profanity, but this really makes me angry..

Re:From the reviews I must conclude

[nwbvt]

I doubt that would help all that much. I've never read the book, but I read two of his other books in a reading group a few years back. Damn, he has to be one of the worst writers ever. Neither plot made any sense, the 'science' in them (both were considered intelligent novels by the critics which you could learn a lot from) was complete bull, the stories were predictible, the characters flat, the dialog worse than anything from the first three Star Wars movies... If the Da Vinci Code (shouldn't it be The Leonardo Code anyways? Da Vinci was neither his name nor his surname...) was only half as bad as either of those I fully understand what pissed off the Catholic Church.

Sorry for this completely off topic rant, but I just get like this whenever I hear how great Dan Brown novels are (which has been a lot recently).

Re:Sadened

[Tango42]

Movie companies are the only people making movies? Who would have thought it...

A monopoly is ONE company, not an entire industry. Nobody has a monopoly on movies. You might complain that there's price fixing going on, but that has nothing to do with a monopoly.