Illegal software and High Speed Internet

That if I get high speed internet I'll download all possible music via the pirate bay (:

well look at Europe, USA, and Asia, most got High speed unlimited connection yet their piracy rate(Digital of course :P) remain low. Let us remember that not everyone knows how to download via torrents/P2P/Direct/etc... they usually go the random "DvD store" and buy something... so then people will think "why should I buy 2,000L.L when I can download it for free" => shop owners go bust => close down => ones that bought from them can't anymore=> don't know how to download = > go to original DvD stores =>piracy rate decreased!(well.. partially...but it's a start!)

IIRC correctly, that article talked about Adobe changing its pricing strategy by reducing its prices here by 70% (I think) to combat piracy. The reasoning is that if you make the prices for legitimate goods closer to what the illegitimate goods, you will have more people migrate towards the legitimate goods. It doesn't combat piracy completely, but it reduces it. Buying a $200 piece of software here is almost a rent payment here (NOT in beirut) and would be comparable to someone in the US paying $800.

Now the problem in Lebanon is on several different fronts, but 2 stick out:

1) there is no enforcement of property and intellectual rights--we see the stores selling pirated dvds, games, and software and the government doesn't do squat. Once in a while, a government official will put on a show and stage a public burning for publicity, but it does nothing else.

2) For whatever reason, there is a lack of much software, music and other stuff. Since we know how difficult it is getting stuff into this country through customs, people look for other means. Solution: make things easier for the consumer to bring things from abroad. The current system is obsolete and prone to corruption and individual whims.

The reasons for our lack of high speed internet are many, but the "pirated software" one is a ruse. Of course, it could mean that the "dvd conspiracy" thread may have legs then.

I don't think technical reasons matter much. I take myself as an example: I used to pirate games, buying all the games that I could find for like $2. I was introduced to Steam and I stopped pirating games. It's more convenient for me to buy them from Steam even though I have a shitty connection. I used to buy those dvds that contain ebooks, around 4000 ebooks per dvd. I stopped doing that and now I'm only buying legit books and sometimes I pay twice the price to ship them from Amazon; the books that I consider classics in my field and a must read.

The fundamental problem, according to my own experience, is the way I see things in terms of value and ethics. There is no value in buying a 4k ebooks dvd, however, paying 50$ for a book that you can smell :P is something priceless for me, specially if it's a book that I was dying to get! Now to the ethics: Just because you think the price is too high and you don't have enough money to buy something doesn't mean you break the law and get it anyway. That's bullshit and I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone here. You don't have money? Don't buy it or look for cheaper alternatives. You don't have money? Don't break international laws no matter how much unfair you think they are. Work towards making them better instead of pirating. Put yourself in their shoes, and be objective: Would you want anyone stealing your work?

A little bit off topic but I think it's worth discussing.

A more important factor to tackle piracy is offer convenient ways of buying digital goods online. You need a paradigm shift in the Middle East regarding ecommerce. I believe things will change as a younger, tech-savvy generation acquires a purchasing power.

ali.koubeissi wroteI used to buy those dvds that contain ebooks, around 4000 ebooks per dvd. I stopped doing that and now I'm only buying legit books and sometimes I pay twice the price to ship them from Amazon; the books that I consider classics in my field and a must read.

The fundamental problem, according to my own experience, is the way I see things in terms of value and ethics. There is no value in buying a 4k ebooks dvd, however, paying 50$ for a book that you can smell :P is something priceless for me, specially if it's a book that I was dying to get!

That's exactly, exactly, how i feel. I love shipping books from amazon, what's even better is the day i get the book! (sometimes i even pay 30$ extra for 3 day shipping!)

The only 2 reasons that are keeping me in Lebanon are Ski and DVD copies :)
As for piracy over the internet you can be sure that Americans and Europeans are way worst than us!
They don't have download quotas and even if the ISP blocked some P2P ip and download centers(4shared,megaupload,rapidshare...) they always can make a way through torrents.
If we think we are good pirates with a couple of mp3s or small softwares cracked, we are meaningless close to others who download several DVD and Bluray movies per month.

if stores here offered competitive prices and offers i would have given up on piracy years ago

.... too bad though.

We're a developing nation. Our people need to learn at any price. We can't afford ethics. So if anyone wants to read or to use some software for actual work then by all means let them do so. If you feel a little bit self satisfied paying out for the big boys in the west a few worthless dimes, then by all means, who is anyone to tell you not to indulge yourself.

Another thing that push people in Lebanon toward piracy is CENSORSHIP and lack of choice in the music department.
How many movies have been forbidden?
Can you find psychedelic trance CDs from 2010 and newer in Lebanon for exemple?

Piracy has to do with the copyright laws in the government and how willing it is to implement them.
Also, if you are in the states and pirate something european unless there is a european representative in the states who will sue you for their copyrighted information, you are safe.

Last i checked, there are no software companies in lebanon...Adobe isn't going to sue anyone in lebanon for illegally obtaining any of their products.

abouelchich wrote

ali.koubeissi wroteI don't think technical reasons matter much. I take myself as an example: I used to pirate games, buying all the games that I could find for like $2. I was introduced to Steam and I stopped pirating games. It's more convenient for me to buy them from Steam even though I have a shitty connection. I used to buy those dvds that contain ebooks, around 4000 ebooks per dvd. I stopped doing that and now I'm only buying legit books and sometimes I pay twice the price to ship them from Amazon; the books that I consider classics in my field and a must read.

The fundamental problem, according to my own experience, is the way I see things in terms of value and ethics. There is no value in buying a 4k ebooks dvd, however, paying 50$ for a book that you can smell :P is something priceless for me, specially if it's a book that I was dying to get! Now to the ethics: Just because you think the price is too high and you don't have enough money to buy something doesn't mean you break the law and get it anyway. That's bullshit and I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone here. You don't have money? Don't buy it or look for cheaper alternatives. You don't have money? Don't break international laws no matter how much unfair you think they are. Work towards making them better instead of pirating. Put yourself in their shoes, and be objective: Would you want anyone stealing your work?

A little bit off topic but I think it's worth discussing.

i like every word you said.. i totally agree with you ! (Y)

It's not an international law. Copyrighting is an internationally understood concept, but it can't be an international law any more than freedom of speech or keeping the environment clean.

There is no implementation of these laws in lebanon, therefore they are not laws. They are principles. And you are right, breaking them sucks and it would be alot more fair if we all paid for the software but it would also be great if i lived in a country where internet was free (then i can purchase software for 80$ a month instead of internet.)
Yes, it's not their fault we have poor internet, and it's not fair to steal their work. But if we are going on fairness, its not fair that some of us were born in a country that steals from its own people while others were born in countries that steal from other countries FOR their people.

I'm not justifying it, but at the same time i don't consider myself a thief. If those software companies are losing that much money from the people of lebanon, perhaps they should start a branch here in lebanon that overlooks this kind of stuff and maybe create some job opportunities thereby normalizing the difference of development between our country and more developed ones where people can afford to respect copyright laws.

Ok so I don't want to illegally download games, so I'll use steam! :D ... oh wait.. my download speed is very slow and my quota is very limited :/ hmm wait.. I know.. I'll go to the nearest DvD store!!! :D oh wait.. all the stores in my city are illegal and the only legit store is in the capital (30KMs away) and that 60 KMs will be a good waste of fuel.. oh wait.. I know, i can buy stuff illegally from the DvD stores next to my house :D

We got once a call from ''Adobe Lebanon'' to our company claiming that we are using pirated Adobe softwares!
We checked up every single PC and the best was Adobe Reader which is free, we told that to the Adobe representative and she said sorry! LOL
Perhaps they are trying hit or miss tactics

Hehe. Microsoft once called to check how many computers and how many windows licenses do we have. I told them we use Apple iMacs; the caller closed the phone before I finish the word Macs. So sensitive... :P

the reason piracy is low in the us is because you get paid well, you have human rights there, means you can also buy legit games with the salary you get, on the other hand, in lebanon we barely have money for food....
i have to save for weeks in order to buy just 1 legit game here, even if i did buy them i can't play online, thats why i pirate my games, if i had a normal internet connection here i would have bought many many legit games such as starcarft 1-2 long long ago!
did i mention i have 600 ping ? :D
even if i had fast internet, there's still a 3\4GB download quota, i don't wanna end up paying 100$ a month just to play online, so yeah piracy is the way to go...so far