Philosophically speaking, in our modern world, is it immoral to download movies from bittorrent sites, limewire, usenet, or other methods of file sharing without paying for it?
If you would never have watched the movie otherwise or been willing to pay for it, is it still immoral if nothing is taken from the people who created it?
How do you ethically place an act that does not actually directly harm the movie studios, but benefits you with work they created and own?
2007-07-28 03:04:29 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
If it benefits you then why would you not be willing to pay for it?
Especially when considering anything slightly out of the mainstream, by not paying for it, you are contributing to it being sidelined.
If the companies can't make money from it they wont put money into it.
And so, they wont take a chance on creative projects, just mass-market pulp that can be produced for a minimum cost and reap best rewards.
In other words, society and culture is the victim.
2007-07-28 03:29:43 · answer #1 · answered by pluginmaybe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I think it is immoral. You steal someone's work even if you wouldn't have normally chosen to buy. Because, by watching the movie, you mean it has a value to you, which, in the end, you refuse to pay. Also, anyone has the right to refuse to do a work if he is not paid enough to his opinion. By watching a movie without paying, I think you deny him this right.
Still, without questioning at any rate the fact that downloading without paying is now illegal, the fact that movie/music industries raise so much money is an economico-technological contingency. To me, you cannot say actors or singers' huge incomes are based on their intrinsic value, can you? Possibly, since now technology "betrays" these industries, society could decide that it has become pointless to keep afloat a boat with so many holes in it...
But wouldn't it be so sad if DVDs and CDs disappeared... ?
2007-07-28 03:47:35 · answer #2 · answered by Franck Z 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there really are not victimless crimes, someplace, somewhere, someone is either hurt or stolen from, so they are a victim, people own the movie companies /studios etc etc, the copyrights and royalties, its just that you dont know these people, you consider them wealthy, or you are able to think in terms of companies and not the owners /investors, or in terms of the little piece you are taking, not the big picture of all the pieces everyone is taking, even if the creator no longer maintains royalty rights or any investment, they sold the product to someone who does
anyway, with all that said, once a person purchases something, it belongs to them, to do with as they wish, you dont buy a shirt then the company tell you that you cant share it and let your friend wear it, that your friend must buy their own shirt, so i really dont see how a movie company can do that also,
i personally wouldnt put this in a moral category
2007-07-28 03:29:10 · answer #3 · answered by dlin333 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally, copying without the owner's permission is wrong regardless of material. Thus there is the copyright law.
On the other hand, why do the producers screen movies in the net? Are they not an accomplice to the wrongdoing? If it is advertisement, there are many kinds of trailers and teasers for the movies, why are these not shown?
There is no harm if a person could copy a portion of a printed material (e.g.a reference book) for his own use but how do a person download a portion of the movie for our own viewing?
Thus, I feel that theorectically, it is wrong but impractical to implement.
2007-07-29 00:45:03 · answer #4 · answered by kaizen123 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Selling tickets to and copies of the film is how movie studios make money to make more movies. That is also how they pay actors and technicians and the janitors who clean up.
I guess the morality all depends on how you look at theft. How would you feel if somebody stole your way of making a living?
2007-07-28 03:13:57 · answer #5 · answered by jack of all trades 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To me, everyone does something illegal in their time, be it running a stop sign or downloading things that don't belong to them. It doesn't make it right, but sometimes we just don't feel guilty for such small things.
2007-07-28 03:12:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ACTUALLY..... the Movie Companies..... MAKE MONIES... by selling YOU.. their idea....!
Gone in 60-Seconds...! A thief.... steals cars... WHICH IS ILLEGAL!
Hollywood.... Sells you the MOVIE... about Stealing..... AND TELLS.... YOU.... you cannot Steal their MOVIES?
ISN'T THAT ....... BASS-ACKWARDS?
Thanks, RR
2007-07-28 03:09:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
they should be flattered..I would be
2007-07-28 03:10:07 · answer #8 · answered by bagel lover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋