I have to agree with tojka, it like the Hydra. as long as people are will to share, there will alos be sites like TPB

Just because there is a law against it, doesn't mean that it's wrong.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean that it's right.

If you don't agree with a law, that doesn't give you a license to break it.  It just means you need to do everything in your power to change it.  If you don't, then you have no grounds to complain.

If you feel it should be legal to make backup copies of your DVD, you should be right there with RealNetworks, fighting for your right to do so.  Downloading pirated movies from the internet isn't going to help the situation.

If you feel that a gaming company is too restrictive with their copy protection on their games, contact that company and try to get their policies changed, instead of sitting there and whining about it.  Find others that feel the same way, and do something constructive.  Don't just act surprised when your cracked copy of the game you downloaded won't work with the latest updates.

If you missed episodes of a TV show, you have tons of options.  Hulu, Netflix, Blockbuster, Comcast/WoW OnDemand, iTunes.  Wait until the DVDs come out and buy them.  Contact the network and make your case for having back episodes available on their website.  All valid options.

My point is, breaking the law shouldn't be your goto option.  And at the very least, don't act surprised when you get in trouble for doing it.

True, but thanks to the internet it is often the easiest way. I suppose if enough of the pirates will be caught and punished, this will change, but i fear it's a pretty big 'if'.

Tssk that's what YOU think! I'm making a torrent of it right now!

okay okay actually it's pron with a troyan in it

Yep it is one of the big huge problems with IP to be sure via "legal (as in US)" access. It is all bullshit to be perfectly frank. Restricting things on an IPA bases is as draconian as it gets

And when you purchase a game that doesn't work and the publisher and the developr brush you off, your recourse is what exactly? You can't get your money back, not from the store or the company. All you can do is not buy from them again, check, and find a way to make it work since you actually purchased something that should have been a working product thus, using a pirated version. Now I am not sure if its illegal to have a no-crack cd of a game you actually purchased to get a patch to work. I did it because i had no other recourse, and there was already someone here who knows just how bad JoWood really is with this. I wasn't about to flush my money down the toilet because I was stupid enough to pay for a game and expect it to be supported on any level at all, hell the errors aren't even in english in the US version of the game.

Do I go around pirating JoWood's games now? No, but I don't buy them either until they are the bottom of the bargain bin and the no-crack cd has been out long enough to use with any patches, if they even bothered to provide a patch at all. And I don't do that much now anyway as there are finally some games out there that are similar enough I can avoid JoWood all together.

This industry continues to act like they have no responsbility whatsoever to the fact like TPB was created in the fist place. Until companies suck it up and admit they fk'd up on a number of levels, creating a fertile breeding ground for pirates, there is no way it's going to get better. It will just get worse and worse for the paying customers and the pirates will go find new playgrounds to have fun in with the lawyers and gaming execs chasing after them like rapid dogs.

Yep actually it is. Something to do with not being allowed to circumvent any protection. Kind of sad really. You could purchase the game and still get sued, hurray!

Yep, you've nailed it. It's why it's also illegal to mod your gaming consoles - you merely purchased a life time licence to use their console. It's a joke, but I can understand the reasoning behind it.

I know ofcourse, I just wanted to point out the rediculous fact that even when they have your money you still aren't allowed because.. what? Using a no-cd costs them money? But they already have it! Hell, read some topics about people with scratched game DVDs. Local law dictates that by only providing the license the medium should be replaced for free or for cost price. But don't think you can. If you are lucky they charge you a disappointing €20 for so called shipping costs, but most of the time their solution to a scratched disk is: buy a new copy at full price. Hurray!

ZehDon I don't get your point. All that means if that you shouldnt be forced to have a CD int he CD drive to play the game. Not that you can get teh game for free without buying a CD of buying it off a download manager like Impulse or steam. Their is a huge difference between no CD to play and pirated game.

That is of course the game being played with the DMCA and other such acts. It is ALWAYS all about the money. Dont ever think otherwise. Then of course there is always the issue when a product is removed from shelf space. Comsequently one cant even accquire a second copy via the extortion method of "support" but I digress...

twifightDG,

that right there made my day!  +1 karma for you sir.....

I cannot work out a way one could possibly and legitamately defend piracy... However, with all the anti-modding business going on, I have to say that once you own a copy of your game (or system), whatever you do with it (barring distribution) should be your own personal business. The exception is, of course, mods that enable you to use pirated software.