this contradiction always confused me. either way the official company is “losing a sale” and not getting the money, right?

  • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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    9 months ago

    In theory, sharing a digital file can have a much greater impact than sharing a CD physically. Plus, you lose access to your copy of the CD if you give it to someone else. You can think of it like transferring a license for one user to a different user. There is no simultaneous usage.

    I don’t personally agree with this view, but I believe that’s the argument.

      • Windex007@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        DON’T COPY THAT FLOPPY!!

        This argument is only a “gotcha” if it was permissible use, but it wasn’t, even before CDs.

          • Adalast@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Eh, technically it is only criminal if he distributed it. US (and I think international) copyright laws has provisions for “personal backups” of media you have purchased. There is nothing illegal about ripping a copy of a CD to your computer or burning an image of a game disc, only if you allow the copy to leave your personal possession. It is so you can keep a copy in a fireproof safe and not lose access to your property in the event of a disaster.

            Not that you needed to be told and I get the sarcasm; I am just a habitual pedant and felt the need to utilize the opportunity for a PSA.

      • mhague@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        The amount of people who will duplicate their tapes and CDs would be lower than the amount of people who will duplicate their digital files.

        Most of the time when a law sounds silly for banning something when alternatives exist, it’s because people themselves are silly and don’t actually go for the alternatives at the same rate as they would the banned thing. Ie gun accessory bans, ninja star bans.

              • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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                9 months ago

                Anecdotal evidence is literally evidence of one (which disproves “zero” claims). Collections of anecdotal evidences make statistics making your dismissive statement dumb.

                I’m adding to the pile. I can name literally over a dozen people in my childhood who copied Discs.

                • PunnyName@lemmy.world
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                  9 months ago

                  Start naming. Organize the names. And their experiences, and start collecting over time, if you wanna go that route. Because otherwise, you’re just some random words in the ether.

                  • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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                    9 months ago

                    We are… you have 3 in front of you. Out of the probably 300-400 people who’ve looked at this thread you’ve seen 3 people answer affirmatively. You’re watching it happen in real time!

          • mhague@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Burning CDs. That’s how I know most people didn’t know how to do it, or want to put in the effort. You had to go buy a stack of CDs, hope your computer supported burning, had to make sure players could support the burned disc (depending on if you made a music disc or data disc, if it was rewritable), and spend the time to burn the disc.

            Contrast that to ctrl+c ctrl+v.

            There’s more people who can ‘duplicate’ digital files than there were people burning CDs.

      • TootSweet@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Of those three steps, step 2 is the illegal one. (Assuming we’re talking about music and not software.) Even if you never do step 3.

        (Not saying things should be that way. Nor that it’s not difficult to enforce. Only that as the laws are today, even ripping a music CD to your hard drive without any intention to share the audio files or resell the CD, even if you never listen to the tracks from your computer, the act of making that “copy” infringes copyright.)

        Edit: Oh, and I should mention this is the case for U.S. copyright. No idea about any other countries.

    • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      which is eyactly why piracy isn’t theft.

      it can still be a crime, just don’t call it what it obviously isn’t.

      • zarkanian@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        It isn’t piracy, either. It’s filesharing.

        See Richard Stallman, “Ending the War on Sharing”:

        When record companies make a fuss about the danger of “piracy”, they’re not talking about violent attacks on shipping. What they complain about is the sharing of copies of music, an activity in which millions of people participate in a spirit of cooperation. The term “piracy” is used by record companies to demonize sharing and cooperation by equating them to kidnaping, murder and theft.

    • Norah - She/They
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      9 months ago

      There are companies out there that do allow this for digital licenses. Arturia, an audio software and hardware company, lets you de-register and sell a license key to someone else, who can re-register it. They don’t charge any fees for it at all either, like some companies do. It’s not hard, most companies just don’t care about you as a customer.

      Edit: Their license keys all include five seats too.

    • MonkderZweite@feddit.ch
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      9 months ago

      And that’s why you don’t own digital media but only a “usage license”, because the original owner still has the original? Isn’t it then fraudulent if the shops sell you the media, despite it being only a license? And shouldn’t that be cheaper then?

      Well, anyway, harr harr.

    • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Can’t you transfer a game to other people on Steam? They treat it like a physical item where after giving it away you loose access IIRC.

      • NationProtons@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Not if you already activated it.

        It used to be possible to buy games as gifts and and them to your inventory to give to somebody ( or activate it yourself ) later.

        Now, when you want to gift a game. You have to immediately select the person you want to send it to.

        • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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          9 months ago

          That’s too bad… I guess I can’t think of a digital example that’s an analogue of the physical one after all

          • NationProtons@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Maybe this should be enforced by law. At least for digital purchases which are basically a license.

            The only things you can easily give to others are DRM free things, like the games you can buy from GOG. But in that case it’s also easy to copy.

          • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 months ago

            You USED to be able to stock up on games on Steam as gift games… I bought eight copies of Fallout: New Vegas for 2.5USD at one point.

            They stopped that. I understand why but fuck, I miss it. Most of those copies were traded for one buds hahaha