So this morning I woke up to a Google Alert - someone had posted on a forum requesting an e-copy of one of Nic Browns books. After some digging, it seems that site is dedicated not to piracy, but to putting people in touch with each other who can then share whatever breaches of copyright they wish. I did some more looking and found pages of people defending what they were doing. I know this is by no means new but since we both write, and many of our friends are artists of one sort or another, I feel the need to rant about this for a bit. Among the arguments given to defend this: 1. Ebooks are too expensive and I want them. I want a Maserati but if I cant afford one, I wont get one. 2. Its not stealing because you still have the original. 3. Art is for everyone. If you were a true artist, you would do it for the purity of art rather than expecting payment which shows youre devoted to crass commercialism. No. Im devoted to paying my bills. Water is for everyone but I still have to pay a water fee every month. 4. Its not available in the format I want. Tough! Things dont always come the way you want them. 5. Im giving you publicity. How? Are you encouraging all of your friends to go and buy this? Or are you then giving them your pirated copy? Are you blazing my name on billboards? If I steal a Harry Winston ring, claiming to be giving them publicity wont win me any favor with the judge. (And back we go to argument #2). And so on. Id go on but I have to go back to doing some writing - to pay the bills.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 14:01:55 +0000
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