And let's talk again about the fight against pirates

How can we talk about the fight against piracy in a country where the purchase of licensed content is perceived as an act of charity? © Folklore.

Since the start of the trend to combat the illegal copying of content around the world, legislators and copyright owners consider only the consequence of the problem, i.e. the fact of piracy on the network, not its problems, root causes.

“The best way to stop piracy is not sophisticated anti-piracy technology at all, it’s giving people better service than they can get from pirates.” © Gabe Newell

And now in the case

If you dig a little deeper and get a fence around the hollers of holders about theft and the need to respect the letter of the Law, we get the following statement:

The fight against piracy is an attempt not to adapt to the methods of transferring large amounts of data in the last 10 years, but to preserve the old order of things.
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As it is not surprising, anti-piracy lobbyists are trying to deal with the phenomenon of high-speed network access. The whole tactic of countering the illegal distribution of content is based on a policy of prohibiting, toughening penalties for downloading, etc.

Today, piracy has two primary causes:

• Reluctance to spend money on media production and objects of copyright through the purchase of an instance for personal use.
• The lack of service, the possibility of a comfortable purchase of products of interest using the Internet as such.

The first type of piracy, yes, must be stopped through the existing legal system. But, unfortunately, the majority of those who advocate the fight against digital piracy are missing a very, very important thing:

Most often, we have no alternatives to piracy comparable in terms of service level.

This is what Gabe Newell once said. With the advent of the Steam site as a digital video game store, the pirate trend in this segment has waned. Now hundreds of thousands of players around the world prefer to buy a licensed copy of the game, rather than using pirated copies. Why? The point is in the service, and not only in the service, the right to which is given by the possession of a license, but also in the service provided by the site itself. Rather, the matter is even in the latter.

Currently, licensed content on the network is not publicly distributed, in any case, video content. Please do not give examples of Amedia or Netflix, they are regional and global players are not.


Typical situation.

Okay, even if I had access to such resources, what would that change? Resource torrentfreak.com gives an interesting table about the possibility of buying new cinema in recent months:



At the same time, the right holders declare that in Europe there are about 3000 services for the legal distribution of films and music on demand.

Only the business model of NTV + climbs into your head when you order a movie from the catalog for viewing on your own TV. About any opportunity to buy a copy and "put" on your digital shelf, as implemented by Steam, yet. Plus, the absence of a global player makes itself felt; to me, as a non-European, neither warmth nor coldness exists from the existence of such services.

I will say more, the problem of having popular content (movies) affects not only the news on Netflix, as the largest western site in this area. Today, only 16% of popular films are available there , regardless of the release date . 84% of the content can not be acquired due to legal delays and requirements of copyright holders.

The following picture emerges:

In the age of high-speed data transmission, we are deprived of choice and forced to use already archaic and for many unacceptable cinemas (hello to people who are rustling with chips). And we ourselves go to the pirates.

Okay. Can it be unprofitable? Let's try to make a list of the advantages of creating a global digital distribution service for films:

• The availability of new products in digital form;
• The rejection of licensed physical media in favor of official digital copies (cost reduction and removal of storage issues);
• Convenient and comfortable service;
• Pre-order of content and the possibility of preliminary acquaintance with it;
• Receive high-quality products and bonus materials in one click without leaving your PC;
• The possibility of direct promotion of the creators / publishers of the product you like.

Advantages of creating a similar platform for publishers and content authors:

• Savings on the media and the maintenance of networks, as a consequence of reducing costs and increasing the share of net profit;
• Mastering the digital market and reducing the level of piracy in a natural way;
• Getting the correct information about the preferences of people (except for box office);
• The possibility of promoting and selling low-budget and non-format projects without major financial risks (read GreenLight);
• The possibility of effective implementation of related products to content (bonuses, documentaries from the shooting \ records, digital autographs, etc.);
• The possibility of profit before the release of content (pre. Orders);
• The ability to effectively implement the expanded and collectible editions for fans (packages of main and related products mentioned above);

Do we have these features? Not. Now we are pirates in captivity, we simply have no place to buy a digital license.

Can we change something?

The right of free movement of content on the network to defend late, unfortunately. We need to Fight for modern and comfortable service at a reasonable price, if the powers that be are concerned about the problem of piracy and want to cover it. Now it becomes extremely clear that sooner or later, from words will get down to business and engaging in piracy will become unsafe for their freedom and wallet. We need a platform in which we would be willing to pay money for, for example, a film. What exists in the market of services now, let's say, is unworthy of even opening in a browser window, not to mention making a purchase.

Why did I write this material? Because everyone has always said that “copyright holders are snickering,” freedom of information and all that. But in fact, we simply have no choice. I have nowhere to buy a new movie to watch at home, and the DVD player has not been launched for three years already. We have no alternatives to piracy, but should be.