RE: We Need to Talk About Plagiarism and Piracy on Steemit, D-Tube and View.ly
I used to really enjoy watching movies, I'd go to the video store and pick out 2-3 new releases to watch just about every weekend. Then all of a sudden all of the video stores closed down and I was forced to subscribe to Netflix and itunes for movies. I've just about given up on those platforms as everytime I look for movies to watch, which I have no problem paying for, I can't find much of anything that interests me. It's been a real loss to me, a huge disappointment to say the least. Illegal sites offer much greater selection and so it's no wonder that people turn to them for choice. I'm sure that there are lots of customers like me who are willing to legally buy their entertainment but who wants to pay for sub standard content. The industry is not releasing content in a way that satisfies customer demand for variety. There are so many movies and documentaries that are nowhere to be found except maybe in the cinema. What if you prefer watching movies at home but don't want to choose from their crappy offerings? I end up just watching YouTube videos which have there limitations and can't replace movies for true entertainment value. Especially now with all of the extreme censorship and demonetization that's going on there. It was kind of exciting to see Game of Thrones on Steemit but I know that there are IP laws that make this illegal. Are intellectual property laws controlling the industry to such an extent as to stifle and suffocate the free flow of creativity, inspiration and art? I feel like a hungry child being starved of creative juice? When will the powers that be stop feeding us shit on a regular basis and throwing us the odd bone here and there to keep us interested and engaged?
I agree. Copyright laws are too stringent and hinder a lot of creativity and that the industry is changing too slowly to meet demand. Although, the film industry is way ahead of the music industry when it comes to adoption comparatively. Film companies have embraced streaming and digital downloads. By contrast, the music industry fought it tooth and nail, which anyone could see was a stupid fight to have.
Law changes much slower than technology, but I don't think that's an excuse to profit off of someone else's work. Sharing is different. What's happening on Steem and D-Tube is not sharing, it's profiting off of other's blood, sweat, tears, money and ideas without compensation.
I'm arguing for us on Steem to recognize that films are products that represent the culmination of many artists and investors and that we should respect that. If we want to live in a world where Cryptocurrency plays a major role in the economy we're going to have to police ourselves and think about those who make digital products as actual people who have lives and careers. If you're enriching your life monetarily or by the entertainment value these films / programs bring you, support them either paying or rejecting those that attempt to profit from them without the consent of the artists and companies that produce them.