I recently had a moment of clarity with regards to my historical stance on downloading software that I have not paid for. It wasn’t the sort of clarity that helps me to pass on my point of view to others, but the sort that is more or less self-defining.
A new jailbroken iPhone application has been released into the wild that allows users to install cracked versions of pay apps as if they paid for it. It’s no different than using a cracked version of Photoshop or Premier or any other pirated software, but it’s new because it’s on th iPhone! The new app is called Installous (available at www.hackulo.us) and it is a great idea.
I saw my friend using a very expensive application ($70) that he hadn’t paid for and I though, “I want to do that too!” I downloaded the app and installed a couple games that are normally pay-only. I was messing around a little more today and it dawned on me again, after many years … I don’t want to pirate software.
This was particularly poignant because I was recently speaking with someone about the importance of revisiting semi-religious decisions like this with some regularity. I don’t know that I can take a stand against the moral implications of piracy, because I’m honestly not against the concept of learning how to use an application from the cracked (i.e. pirated) versions. But I can say that I have followed-through with my conscience regarding my desires to “have” and to “be able to resist”. I have learned to do without these toys this long, and I can do without them longer if I don’t want to pay for them.
What are your thoughts on piracy? Do you feel you’re just saving money? Do you care?
(Written from my iPhone)
I actually find myself purchasing more software these days. Trying to find cracked versions might be easy, but a lot of times it’s easier to just buy the app. I do try to find applications that let me try it out to find out whether it will do what I want it to, or find open source solutions; and sometimes I go through 10 different programs before finding the one I like.
What really amazes me is how many people I know who still pirate software and think nothing of it, and they are all smart enough to know what the potential consequences are of using pirated software. It’s just not worth the hassle any more.
t-b0wn!!!! I’m with you in the sense that I try to stay in the legitimate (i.e., non-pirated) world and have been there for music and software for a long time now. What you’re saying about the dangers of cracked software (e.g., malware) is so true, and that discussion (at work no less) is what brought me to think more on my use of Installous.
Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to write more if you think of something.
As many know, I have been known not only to be an avid pirate (pir8), but also a sneaker-net of goods to those in my close circles. Essentially, I feel confident putting myself in the line of fire (legal retaliation being the most terrifying prospect of pirating intellectual property) in order to supply my loved-ones with the tools necessary to learn applications.
That said, I recognize the limitations of pirated software and media – generally, you’re getting a 1.0 or X.0 version of the software – not the industry standard or updated / updatable versions – and MP3s are a mere shadow facsimile of the music as it can be heard by purchasing the CD that the music originated from. The drawbacks to piracy are plenty, from a user’s perspective, and besides the legal implications, and can lead to, frankly, a reduction of the expectation of the softwarez or mediaz. Evolutionarily speaking, it’s a detriment to the sophistication, artfulness, and attention that is paid to a relatively high-stakes, high-brow approach to productivity and entertainment.
I’m not sure I’m summarizing correctly, but it sounds like you are a proponent of piracy for the educational benefits of having a “learning version” of a given piece of software. Is that right? How does that opinion translate into the creative works?
I’m saying, from a perspective of the evolution of projects, piracy impedes on developers’ abilities to afford to maintain and improve their projects. The revenue gained from a project’s 1.0 release could result in a continued effort to improve the product to 2.0. It’s free-market economics.
However, and I maintain this, if you’re starving, stealing an apple off of the apple-cart is not a “sin”, however criminal. I don’t know if being broke and stealing applications should be compared to core survival – in fact, I think it shouldn’t – but there’s a scale to moral flexibility in the face of living with few resources. I’m not saying I’m letting myself off the hook by virtue of being poor.
I revisited this article to post this, actually, a little slice of irony. It’s on-topic:
http://torrentfreak.com/file-sharing-heroine-lilly-allen-is-a-copyright-hypocrite-090921/
Hey Jed — found your blog via Linkedin. This cartoon sums up my issue with piracy/DRM management: http://www.bradcolbow.com/archive.php/?p=205.
When they end up punishing the people trying to do the right thing (by actually buying software, music, etc) instead of making it easier for them…. its hard to convince myself to not just look for a illegal version of that file.
Publishers need to understand that when I buy a copy of that book/software/etc.. I’m buying a part of that IP — not just that format. If I buy the book – why is the ebook an additional fee for me to download? Buy the CD and I also have to buy the ringtone (yes, I know i can make one from the CD myself.. I could also scan every page of the book….)? Insane, stupid, ridiculous.
Hi Tracy! Thanks for writing.
I agree with you, that paying for a product should buy property, not just a license. I agree that an e-version of a book should be included free-of-charge with the purchase of a printed book (though the enforcement of that is tough because there’s nothing stopping a nogoodnik from just wandering a bookstore snatching up all the license keys or media). I agree that DRM is a damned hassle and (at least historically) doomed to failure.
Now by definition, piracy (in the warez sense) is the illegal download of commercial media, but the spirit I was going for in my post allows for the purchase of the legal version and then the subsequent download of a pirated, non-DRM’d version of that product. The spirit is to provide incentive for producers to continue producing and to stop the mindset that illegal downloads are in any way different than real-world theft. I’m a little bit of a hypocrite on that subject in that I condone piracy for the sake of education/professional development if-and-only-if (IFF) the intent is to do one of the following (i apologize for the lack of showing bullets below):
I think my hypocracy has enough caveats to make my stance still fairly obvious.
Write back and tell your friends about cyberpir8.net 